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OpenAIOpenAI

Take-Home with Mandatory Video Walkthrough

Forward Deployed Engineering

What it tests

Code quality + communication (the two halves of FDE work)

Format

  1. 1Take-home coding project (4-6 hours): build a solution to a customer scenario
  2. 2Mandatory: record a video walkthrough explaining architecture decisions, trade-offs, what you'd do differently, and how you'd present to a non-technical stakeholder
  3. 3Submit code + video together
  4. 4Live discussion of both

What to look for

  • Code quality vs. communication quality (FDEs need both)
  • Video presentation skills (critical for customer-facing eng)
  • Self-awareness in the "what I'd do differently" section
  • How they simplify for non-technical audiences

Full description

Format:

  1. Take-home coding project (4-6 hours): build a solution to a customer scenario
  2. Mandatory: record a video walkthrough explaining:
    • Architecture decisions and trade-offs
    • What you'd do differently with more time
    • How you'd present this solution to a non-technical stakeholder
  3. Submit code + video together
  4. Live discussion of both

Time: 4-6 hours (code) + 15-20 minutes (video) + 45 minutes (live discussion)

What to look for:

  • Code quality vs. communication quality (some people build great but can't explain; FDEs need both)
  • Video presentation skills (critical for customer-facing eng)
  • Self-awareness in the "what I'd do differently" section
  • How they simplify for non-technical audiences