IBM vs Netflix Interview Questions
IBM lists 115 LeetCode interview questions while Netflix lists 29. They share 5 problems — 4% of IBM's bank and 17% of Netflix's. Focus on the overlap first, then drill into 110 IBM-only and 24 Netflix-only questions.
Overview
Preparation Strategy
Step 1 — Shared core: Solve the 5 overlapping problems first. These are the highest-yield questions for candidates interviewing at both IBM and Netflix.
Step 2 — Company-specific depth: Add IBM-specific problems like Find the Smallest Divisor Given a Threshold, Gray Code, 3Sum and Netflix-specific problems from the exclusive lists below.
Step 3 — Difficulty tuning: Netflix skews harder in our data. Budget extra time for Hard problems if you are targeting that company.
Difficulty Comparison
Top Shared Topics
5 Shared Questions
High-priority problems to practice for both IBM and Netflix.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Meeting Rooms II | Medium |
| Merge Intervals | Medium |
| Longest Substring Without Repeating Characters | Medium |
| Word Break | Medium |
| LRU Cache | Medium |
Unique to IBM (110)
Problems in IBM's list that do not appear at Netflix.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Find the Smallest Divisor Given a Threshold | Medium |
| Gray Code | Medium |
| 3Sum | Medium |
| Exclusive Time of Functions | Medium |
| Integer to Roman | Medium |
| Minimum Operations to Make Columns Strictly Increasing | Easy |
| Fizz Buzz | Easy |
| Roman to Integer | Easy |
| Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock | Easy |
| Count Ways to Group Overlapping Ranges | Medium |
| Two Sum | Easy |
| Rotate Image | Medium |
Unique to Netflix (24)
Problems in Netflix's list that do not appear at IBM.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Cache With Time Limit | Medium |
| Time Based Key-Value Store | Medium |
| Course Schedule II | Medium |
| Contains Duplicate III | Hard |
| Reconstruct Itinerary | Hard |
| Logger Rate Limiter | Easy |
| Parallel Courses | Medium |
| Contains Duplicate II | Easy |
| String to Integer (atoi) | Medium |
| Network Delay Time | Medium |
| Word Search | Medium |
| Contains Duplicate | Easy |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many LeetCode questions do IBM and Netflix share?
IBM and Netflix share 5 LeetCode interview questions. 110 problems appear only in IBM's list and 24 appear only in Netflix's list.
What topics overlap most between IBM and Netflix?
The most common shared topics between IBM and Netflix are Array (3 shared questions), Hash Table (3 shared questions), Sorting (2 shared questions), String (2 shared questions), Two Pointers (1 shared questions). Mastering these areas prepares you for both companies.
Which company asks harder LeetCode questions: IBM or Netflix?
IBM has 33 Easy, 73 Medium, and 9 Hard questions. Netflix has 5 Easy, 19 Medium, and 5 Hard questions. Netflix has a higher proportion of Hard problems in its interview set.
How should I prepare if interviewing at both IBM and Netflix?
Start with the 5 shared problems since they cover what both companies ask most often. Then add 20 IBM-specific and 20 Netflix-specific questions to round out your prep.