Microsoft vs Waymo Interview Questions
Microsoft lists 192 LeetCode interview questions while Waymo lists 25. They share 7 problems — 4% of Microsoft's bank and 28% of Waymo's. Focus on the overlap first, then drill into 185 Microsoft-only and 18 Waymo-only questions.
Overview
Preparation Strategy
Step 1 — Shared core: Solve the 7 overlapping problems first. These are the highest-yield questions for candidates interviewing at both Microsoft and Waymo.
Step 2 — Company-specific depth: Add Microsoft-specific problems like Two Sum, Merge Sorted Array, Longest Substring Without Repeating Characters and Waymo-specific problems from the exclusive lists below.
Step 3 — Difficulty tuning: Waymo skews harder in our data. Budget extra time for Hard problems if you are targeting that company.
Difficulty Comparison
Top Shared Topics
7 Shared Questions
High-priority problems to practice for both Microsoft and Waymo.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Number of Islands | Medium |
| Find Peak Element | Medium |
| Largest Rectangle in Histogram | Hard |
| Regular Expression Matching | Hard |
| Meeting Rooms II | Medium |
| Design Tic-Tac-Toe | Medium |
| Text Justification | Hard |
Unique to Microsoft (185)
Problems in Microsoft's list that do not appear at Waymo.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Two Sum | Easy |
| Merge Sorted Array | Easy |
| Longest Substring Without Repeating Characters | Medium |
| Add Two Numbers | Medium |
| Longest Palindromic Substring | Medium |
| Trapping Rain Water | Hard |
| Single Element in a Sorted Array | Medium |
| Merge Intervals | Medium |
| Median of Two Sorted Arrays | Hard |
| Valid Parentheses | Easy |
| 3Sum | Medium |
| Maximum Subarray | Medium |
Unique to Waymo (18)
Problems in Waymo's list that do not appear at Microsoft.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many LeetCode questions do Microsoft and Waymo share?
Microsoft and Waymo share 7 LeetCode interview questions. 185 problems appear only in Microsoft's list and 18 appear only in Waymo's list.
What topics overlap most between Microsoft and Waymo?
The most common shared topics between Microsoft and Waymo are Array (6 shared questions), Matrix (2 shared questions), String (2 shared questions), Simulation (2 shared questions), Depth-First Search (1 shared questions). Mastering these areas prepares you for both companies.
Which company asks harder LeetCode questions: Microsoft or Waymo?
Microsoft has 55 Easy, 109 Medium, and 28 Hard questions. Waymo has 1 Easy, 13 Medium, and 11 Hard questions. Waymo has a higher proportion of Hard problems in its interview set.
How should I prepare if interviewing at both Microsoft and Waymo?
Start with the 7 shared problems since they cover what both companies ask most often. Then add 20 Microsoft-specific and 18 Waymo-specific questions to round out your prep.