Airbnb vs PayPal Interview Questions
Airbnb lists 63 LeetCode interview questions while PayPal lists 105. They share 9 problems — 14% of Airbnb's bank and 9% of PayPal's. Focus on the overlap first, then drill into 54 Airbnb-only and 96 PayPal-only questions.
Overview
Preparation Strategy
Step 1 — Shared core: Solve the 9 overlapping problems first. These are the highest-yield questions for candidates interviewing at both Airbnb and PayPal.
Step 2 — Company-specific depth: Add Airbnb-specific problems like Maximum Profit in Job Scheduling, Flatten 2D Vector, Smallest Common Region and PayPal-specific problems from the exclusive lists below.
Step 3 — Difficulty tuning: Airbnb skews harder in our data. Budget extra time for Hard problems if you are targeting that company.
Difficulty Comparison
Top Shared Topics
9 Shared Questions
High-priority problems to practice for both Airbnb and PayPal.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Text Justification | Hard |
| Trapping Rain Water | Hard |
| Two Sum | Easy |
| Valid Parentheses | Easy |
| House Robber | Medium |
| Happy Number | Easy |
| Maximal Square | Medium |
| Combination Sum | Medium |
| Maximum Subarray | Medium |
Unique to Airbnb (54)
Problems in Airbnb's list that do not appear at PayPal.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Maximum Profit in Job Scheduling | Hard |
| Flatten 2D Vector | Medium |
| Smallest Common Region | Medium |
| Palindrome Pairs | Hard |
| Maximum Candies You Can Get from Boxes | Hard |
| Pour Water | Medium |
| Sliding Puzzle | Hard |
| Design Excel Sum Formula | Hard |
| Intersection of Two Linked Lists | Easy |
| Alien Dictionary | Hard |
| Contains Duplicate II | Easy |
| Simple Bank System | Medium |
Unique to PayPal (96)
Problems in PayPal's list that do not appear at Airbnb.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many LeetCode questions do Airbnb and PayPal share?
Airbnb and PayPal share 9 LeetCode interview questions. 54 problems appear only in Airbnb's list and 96 appear only in PayPal's list.
What topics overlap most between Airbnb and PayPal?
The most common shared topics between Airbnb and PayPal are Array (7 shared questions), Dynamic Programming (4 shared questions), String (2 shared questions), Two Pointers (2 shared questions), Stack (2 shared questions). Mastering these areas prepares you for both companies.
Which company asks harder LeetCode questions: Airbnb or PayPal?
Airbnb has 11 Easy, 31 Medium, and 21 Hard questions. PayPal has 19 Easy, 69 Medium, and 17 Hard questions. Airbnb has a higher proportion of Hard problems in its interview set.
How should I prepare if interviewing at both Airbnb and PayPal?
Start with the 9 shared problems since they cover what both companies ask most often. Then add 20 Airbnb-specific and 20 PayPal-specific questions to round out your prep.