Macromill - Senior Backend Engineer - Sept 2026 ( REJECT )
Summary
I interviewed for a Senior Backend Engineer position at Macromill in September 2026 and was rejected after the hiring manager round.
Full Experience
Current Org: Small Startup
College: Tier-1
YOE: 8+
Current Comp: 60L Base + 5L Bonus + 20L ESOPs per year (will not materialize to any value)
Round 1 - DSA/Coding
Design a token-based rate limiter for LLM-based token usage.
Method to implement: `rateLimit(userid, tokenCount)`
Round 2 - HLD
Design Google Forms.
Key scale constraint: Handle peak submissions at 2M per second for a really popular form.
Round 3 - HM
Standard HM round, but very rapid‑fire style. They will grill you on the answers you give. Be prepared properly for this.
Some example questions:
- How will you re-architect your current system?
- How will you improve processes at your current org?
- What design doc format do you use?
- How have you upskilled yourself?
- PM conflicts and handling async communication with PMs on requirements.
- Why Macromill?
- What is your best next role?
Verdict: Rejected in HM round.
Interview Questions (8)
Token-Based Rate Limiter for LLM Usage
Design a token‑based rate limiter for LLM‑based token usage. Implement a method rateLimit(userid, tokenCount) that determines whether a request should be allowed based on the number of tokens a user has consumed.
Design Google Forms for High Throughput
Design Google Forms. The system must handle peak submissions at 2 million per second for a very popular form.
How will you re-architect your current system?
Explain how you would re‑architect the system you are currently working on.
How will you improve processes at your current org?
Discuss ways you would improve the processes in your current organization.
What design doc format do you use?
Describe the design document format you use when creating system designs.
How have you upskilled yourself?
Talk about the methods and resources you have used to upskill yourself professionally.
Why Macromill?
Explain why you are interested in joining Macromill.
What is your best next role?
Describe what you consider to be your ideal next role and why it fits your career goals.