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Saildrone Inc Interview Questions

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Let’s say we have a table with an <code>id</code> and <code>name</code> fields. The table holds over 100 million rows and we want to sample a random row in the table without throttling the database.

Write a query to randomly sample a row from this table.

Input:

<code>big_table</code> table

<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Columns</th>
<th>Type</th>
</tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
<tr>
<td><code>id</code></td>
<td>INTEGER</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>name</code></td>
<td>VARCHAR</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Write a query to randomly sample a row from a big table.

Random SQL Sample

You are testing hundreds of hypotheses with many t-tests. What considerations should be made?

What is a key disadvantage of the F-test when compared to multiple t-tests?

What is a key disadvantage of the F-test when compared to multiple t-tests?

Hundreds of Hypotheses

You are testing hundreds of hypotheses with many t-tests. What considerations should be made?

Let’s say you work for a social media company that has just done a launch in a new city. Looking at weekly metrics, you see a slow decrease in the average number of comments per user from January to March in this city.

The company has been consistently growing new users in the city from January to March.

What are some reasons why the average number of comments per user would be decreasing and what metrics would you look into?

What metric could be used to measure if active users are still engaging on the platform despite an overall decrease in the average number of comments per user?

What metric could be used to measure if active users are still engaging on the platform despite an overall decrease in the average number of comments per user?

Decreasing Comments

How would you investigate a decline in the average number of comments per user?

Saildrone Inc Salaries by Position

About Us
At Saildrone, we sustainably explore, map, and monitor the oceans to understand, protect, and preserve our world. We provide real-time access to critical data from any ocean on earth, 24/7/365, and use proprietary software applications to transform that data into actionable insights and intelligence. Our fleet of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), powered by renewable wind and solar power, have a minimal carbon footprint and operate without the need for a crewed support vessel.
Saildrone works with governments, civil agencies, foundations, universities, and private companies around the globe to drive better information about our oceans and seas—from sailing into the eye of a category 4 hurricane to obtain new data about how storms intensify, collecting new CO2 data in hard-to-reach areas, and counting fish biomass to inform sustainable fishery management, to mapping the ocean floor and reducing illegal fishing and drug trafficking. As a result of our work, we have been included on TIME's List of the 100 Most Influential Companies in 2024, Fast Company’s list of the "World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2022," and earned the Ocean Awards’ Innovation Award, presented by the Blue Marine Foundation. Saildrone's hurricane mission was included as one of The New York Times' "Top 21 Things that happened (for the first time) in 2021" and Popular Science's "100 Greatest Innovations of 2021," and entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for recording the "highest windspeed recorded by a USV."
We are based in Alameda, CA, with offices in Washington DC and St. Petersburg, FL, and operate our missions worldwide. Saildrone is backed by top-tier investors in the frontier tech and sustainability sectors, including Social Capital, Capricorn, Lux Capital, BOND Capital, and Emerson Collective.
This is an exciting opportunity with a fast-growing team at the cutting-edge intersection of big data services and autonomous hardware. You will be an integral part of a high-performing multi-disciplinary team that delivers high impact for humanity and future generations.
The Role
Saildrone uses an onboard perception system for ocean monitoring and navigational safety. Using a combination of machine vision, radar, acoustic and AIS data, our worldwide fleet of drones perceives the world in real-time to combat illegal fishing and safely sail through crowded seas. Ocean-going drones present a unique challenge for high-performance perception: our fleet is solar and wind powered, and can be deployed for up to one year without returning to port. These challenges make efficient algorithms a must and require thoughtful over-the-air deployment strategies. We’re looking for a top-notch Staff Perception Engineer to help drive projects within the Perception Team taking on these unique challenges.
As a Staff Perception Engineer at Saildrone, you will not only bring technical expertise but also serve as a key technical leader within the Perception Team. Being a technical leader means driving the team towards innovative solutions, fostering a collaborative environment, and setting a high standard for technical excellence. You will be responsible for guiding cross-functional project teams through complex challenges, making critical technical decisions, and ensuring that the team's output meets Saildrone's rigorous quality and performance standards. Your role will involve mentoring junior engineers, facilitating knowledge sharing, and leading by example in writing efficient, high-quality code. By embodying technical leadership, you will empower your teammates to excel, drive the team’s success, and contribute significantly to Saildrone's mission of enhancing ocean monitoring and navigational safety through cutting-edge perception systems.
Responsibilities
Lead technical initiatives within the Perception Team to improve performance and add new functionality for individual sensors and the algorithms that fuse that data together.
Work cross-functionally with product managers, technical leads and system engineers to make critical decisions and ensure designs will meet overall system requirements
Design, develop and evaluate perception and tracking algorithms to fuse data from cameras, radars, hydrophones and other sensors.
Write efficient, well-tested C++ code to run on real-time operations systems.
Work with cross-functional teams to ensure valid integration of sensor hardware into our perception systems.
Work with machine learning engineers to ensure integration and end-to-end system performance is optimized on-board.
Design, develop and maintain large-scale perception regression tests and replay scenarios to aid rapid software development and evaluate and track performance.
Productionize and harden algorithms for real-world applications.
Work with platform and UI engineers to ensure display of useful sensor information to users for near real time perception around the vessels as well as intelligent navigation.
Lead initiatives and meetings within the team and functional area.
Motivate and empower teammates to achieve a higher level of performance.
Identify and propose strategies around technical problems affecting the team while communicating standards and getting buy-in on solutions.

Required Skills and Experience
8+ years professional experience in a relevant domain, with prior experience tech leading projects. An advanced degree can substitute for experience.
5+ years of professional experience writing production grade software
BS or MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or related field
5+ years of experience with C++. This is our main coding language in these systems
Understanding and familiarity with perception systems and algorithms
Experience with robotics middleware such as ROS, ZMQ, gRPC
Familiarity with machine learning algorithms
Familiarity with GPU accelerated algorithm development
Familiarity with signal processing algorithms
A desire to solve challenging robotics problems
Excellent communication and leadership skills
Experience with mentorship

Desired Skills and Experience
Hands-on experience with computer vision systems, online state estimation, sensor fusion and machine learning
Experience with perception sensing technologies like radar, camera, acoustics, etc.
Experience with tracking and filtering algorithms, such as Particle and Kalman filters
Experience Python and SQL
Experience with deployment to Nvidia chipsets for robotics, such as the AGX
Experience working in robotics or autonomous vehicle industries
Physical Requirements
Work is performed on a computer and requires ability to operate a keyboard and other peripheral devices.

Location : This position is hybrid in Alameda, CA (Onsite 3 days per week required). Our waterfront office offers beautiful views of San Francisco Bay in always sunny Alameda. Even our walls have good karma, our offices mix software development with a hardware production line in the former airplane hangar used to film 'The Matrix'.

Benefits :
Medical, dental and vision plans for you and your dependents.
Short and relaxing ferry ride from the Ferry Building for SF residents
Enhanced Parental Leave Programs
Competitive benefits including excellent medical, life insurance, 401k plan

A reasonable estimate of the current range is $149,400-$198,000 annually. Catch up on the latest news about us:
The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea – The New York Times
TIME 100 Most Influential Companies 2024: Saildrone
An Underwater Mountain was Newly Discovered off California Coast – San Francisco Chronicle
Hacking the Anthropocene with Survivalist Robots [VIDEO] – Freethink
An Unprecedented View Inside a Hurricane – EOS
Saildrone’s First Aluminum Surveyor Autonomous Vessel Splashes Down for Navy Testing – TechCrunch
USVs Could Deter IUU Fishing – USNI Proceedings
Saildrone Vehicles Track Whales around Offshore Wind Power – Workboat
Mullen, Former Joint Chiefs Chairman, to Lead Board for Unmanned Tech Firm Saildrone – Breaking Defense
The Navy Is Using Robot Ships to Deter Human Smuggling out of Haiti – Defense One
Saildrone's Quiet Voyage: Autonomous Vehicle Aids Great Lakes Fish Stock Study – Up North Live
Saildrone Featured Videos Playlist

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

At Saildrone, we value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes people from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe that a diverse and inclusive team leads to innovation and better problem-solving. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, ethnicities, races, sexual orientations, disabilities, and backgrounds.

Individual compensation packages are based on geographic location, scope of the role, relevant experience, and the ability to deal with complexity and problem solve within our organization, among other factors.

All employees are required to provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. within their first 3 days of work. Please note that the Company does not sponsor employees for work visas or permanent resident cards to work in the U.S. If you need sponsorship for a work visa or green card, you will not be qualified for employment with Saildrone.

Any unsolicited resumes/candidate profiles submitted through our website or to personal email accounts of employees of Saildrone are considered property of Saildrone and are not subject to payment of agency fees.

#LI-Hybrid
#LI-LP1

#J-18808-Ljbffr

Job Description About Us At Saildrone, we sustainably explore, map, and monitor the oceans to understand, protect, and preserve our world. We provide real-time access to critical data from any ocean on earth, 24/7/365, and use proprietary software applications to transform that data into actionable insights and intelligence. Our fleet of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), powered by renewable wind and solar power, have a minimal carbon footprint and operate without the need for a crewed support vessel. Saildrone works with governments, civil agencies, foundations, universities, and private companies around the globe to drive better information about our oceans and seas-from sailing into the eye of a category 4 hurricane to obtain new data about how storms intensify, collecting new CO2 data in hard-to-reach areas, and counting fish biomass to inform sustainable fishery management, to mapping the ocean floor and reducing illegal fishing and drug trafficking. As a result of our work, Saildrone has been included on Fast Company's annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies, earned an Ocean Awards' Innovation Award, won Best Tech For Good from the Timmy Awards, and was recognized by Andreessen Horowitz's American Dynamism 50 list of the Top 50 Companies Kickstarting American Renewal. Our first-annual Atlantic hurricane mission with NOAA was included as one of The New York Times' 21 Things That Happened for the First Time in 2021 and Popular Science's 100 Greatest Innovations of 2021. We are based in Alameda, CA, with offices in Washington DC and St. Petersburg, FL, and operate our missions worldwide. Saildrone is backed by top-tier investors in the frontier tech and sustainability sectors, including Social Capital, Capricorn, Lux Capital, BOND Capital, and Emerson Collective. This is an exciting opportunity with a fast-growing team at the cutting-edge intersection of big data services and autonomous hardware. You will be an integral part of a high-performing multi-disciplinary delivering high impact for humanity and future generations. The Role Data is Everything. The Saildrone fleet of ocean-going vessels tirelessly sails the world's seas piecing together the world's largest high-resolution meteorological oceanic dataset at a rate, precision and price point that was previously impossible. With NOAA approved data precision and demonstrated reliability, two other datasets that you'll be working with are ocean floor depth mapping and maritime domain awareness, which is anything associated with the safety and security of our oceans, such as illegal fishing and drug enforcement. You will build the data pipeline powering both our external APIs and internal business intelligence about our drones. An effort spanning architecture, development, reliability, and scale, it is critical in our mission to deliver planetary insights. Required Skills and Experience <ul> <li>10+ years of relevant experience and demonstrated track record of tech leading large cross- functional projects </li><li>Bachelors or Masters degree in computer engineering, computer science, or other related field </li><li>Experience in data pipeline/platform services and customer-facing APIs in cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.) </li><li>Working knowledge of relational databases (Postgres, AWS Aurora, PostGIS) </li><li>Experience with streaming technologies such Kafka, AWS Kinesis, Flink </li><li>Familiar with Argo, Dagster, Airflow, or Luigi workflow orchestration engines </li></ul>Desired Skills and Experience <ul> <li>Experience working with time series, geospatial, geo-temporal, or map-tile data would be a huge bonus </li><li>Experience with data from drones or robots, such as those from ROS-based systems, would also be very helpful </li><li>Expertise in Python or NodeJS programming languages </li><li>Familiar with Parquet or Protobuf data file formats </li><li>Working knowledge of Athena/Presto, BigQuery, Redshift, Snowflake, or Vertica </li><li>Experience with serverless functions, such as AWS Lambda </li><li>NoSQL experience - DynamoDB, Redis, Influx, Timescale </li><li>Knowledge of visualization tools such as Jupyter Notebooks, Tableau, Streamlit </li><li>Experience with developing and deploying distributed services with Docker </li><li>Built data pipelines for Machine Learning applications </li></ul>Physical Requirements: Work is performed on a computer and requires ability to operate a keyboard and other peripheral devices. Location: For candidates in the Bay Area, this position is hybrid in Alameda, CA (minimum of 3 days per week in office). We are also open to this role as a Remote position for candidates outside of the Bay Area. Our waterfront office offers beautiful views of San Francisco Bay in always sunny Alameda. Even our walls have good karma, our offices mix software development with a hardware production line in the former airplane hangar used to film 'The Matrix'. Benefits: <ul> <li>Medical, dental and vision plans for you and your dependents. </li><li>Short and relaxing ferry ride from the Ferry Building for SF residents </li><li>Enhanced Parental Leave Programs </li><li>Competitive benefits including excellent medical, life insurance, 401k plan </li></ul> A reasonable estimate of the current range is $173,000-$229,700 annually. This range is for applicants residing in the Bay Area. For candidates working remotely, it will be adjusted based on the cost of living for which the candidate resides. Catch up on the latest news about us: The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea - The New York Times An Underwater Mountain was Newly Discovered off California Coast - San Francisco Chronicle Hacking the Anthropocene with Survivalist Robots [VIDEO] - Freethink An Unprecedented View Inside a Hurricane - EOS Saildrone's First Aluminum Surveyor Autonomous Vessel Splashes Down for Navy Testing - TechCrunch USVs Could Deter IUU Fishing - USNI Proceedings Saildrone Vehicles Track Whales around Offshore Wind Power - Workboat Mullen, Former Joint Chiefs Chairman, to Lead Board for Unmanned Tech Firm Saildrone - Breaking Defense The Navy Is Using Robot Ships to Deter Human Smuggling out of Haiti - Defense One Saildrone's Quiet Voyage: Autonomous Vehicle Aids Great Lakes Fish Stock Study - Up North Live Saildrone Featured Videos Playlist We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. At Saildrone, we value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes people from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe that a diverse and inclusive team leads to innovation and better problem-solving. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, ethnicities, races, sexual orientations, disabilities, and backgrounds. Individual compensation packages are based on geographic location, scope of the role, relevant experience, and the ability to deal with complexity and problem solve within our organization, among other factors. All employees are required to provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. within their first 3 days of work. Please note that the Company does not sponsor employees for work visas or permanent resident cards to work in the U.S. If you need sponsorship for a work visa or green card, you will not be qualified for employment with Saildrone. Any unsolicited resumes/candidate profiles submitted through our website or to personal email accounts of employees of Saildrone are considered property of Saildrone and are not subject to payment of agency fees. #LI-Remote #LI-LP1

Job Description About Us At Saildrone, we sustainably explore, map, and monitor the oceans to understand, protect, and preserve our world. We provide real-time access to critical data from any ocean on earth, 24/7/365, and use proprietary software applications to transform that data into actionable insights and intelligence. Our fleet of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), powered by renewable wind and solar power, have a minimal carbon footprint and operate without the need for a crewed support vessel. Saildrone works with governments, civil agencies, foundations, universities, and private companies around the globe to drive better information about our oceans and seas-from sailing into the eye of a category 4 hurricane to obtain new data about how storms intensify, collecting new CO2 data in hard-to-reach areas, and counting fish biomass to inform sustainable fishery management, to mapping the ocean floor and reducing illegal fishing and drug trafficking. As a result of our work, we have been included on TIME's List of the 100 Most Influential Companies in 2024, Fast Company's list of the "World's Most Innovative Companies for 2022," and earned the Ocean Awards' Innovation Award, presented by the Blue Marine Foundation. Saildrone's hurricane mission was included as one of The New York Times' "Top 21 Things that happened (for the first time) in 2021" and Popular Science's "100 Greatest Innovations of 2021," and entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for recording the "highest windspeed recorded by a USV." We are based in Alameda, CA, with offices in Washington DC and St. Petersburg, FL, and operate our missions worldwide. Saildrone is backed by top-tier investors in the frontier tech and sustainability sectors, including Social Capital, Capricorn, Lux Capital, BOND Capital, and Emerson Collective. This is an exciting opportunity with a fast-growing team at the cutting-edge intersection of big data services and autonomous hardware. You will be an integral part of a high-performing multi-disciplinary team that delivers high impact for humanity and future generations. The Role Saildrone uses an onboard perception system for ocean monitoring and navigational safety. Using a combination of machine vision, radar, acoustic and AIS data, our worldwide fleet of drones perceives the world in real-time to combat illegal fishing and safely sail through crowded seas. Ocean-going drones present a unique challenge for high-performance perception: our fleet is solar and wind powered, and can be deployed for up to one year without returning to port. These challenges make efficient algorithms a must and require thoughtful over-the-air deployment strategies. We're looking for a top-notch Staff Perception Engineer to help drive projects within the Perception Team taking on these unique challenges. As a Staff Perception Engineer at Saildrone, you will not only bring technical expertise but also serve as a key technical leader within the Perception Team. Being a technical leader means driving the team towards innovative solutions, fostering a collaborative environment, and setting a high standard for technical excellence. You will be responsible for guiding cross-functional project teams through complex challenges, making critical technical decisions, and ensuring that the team's output meets Saildrone's rigorous quality and performance standards. Your role will involve mentoring junior engineers, facilitating knowledge sharing, and leading by example in writing efficient, high-quality code. By embodying technical leadership, you will empower your teammates to excel, drive the team's success, and contribute significantly to Saildrone's mission of enhancing ocean monitoring and navigational safety through cutting-edge perception systems. Responsibilities <ul> <li>Lead technical initiatives within the Perception Team to improve performance and add new functionality for individual sensors and the algorithms that fuse that data together. </li><li>Work cross-functionally with product managers, technical leads and system engineers to make critical decisions and ensure designs will meet overall system requirements </li><li>Design, develop and evaluate perception and tracking algorithms to fuse data from cameras, radars, hydrophones and other sensors. </li><li>Write efficient, well-tested C++ code to run on real-time operations systems. </li><li>Work with cross-functional teams to ensure valid integration of sensor hardware into our perception systems. </li><li>Work with machine learning engineers to ensure integration and end-to-end system performance is optimized on-board. </li><li>Design, develop and maintain large-scale perception regression tests and replay scenarios to aid rapid software development and evaluate and track performance. </li><li>Productionize and harden algorithms for real-world applications. </li><li>Work with platform and UI engineers to ensure display of useful sensor information to users for near real time perception around the vessels as well as intelligent navigation. </li><li>Lead initiatives and meetings within the team and functional area. </li><li>Motivate and empower teammates to achieve a higher level of performance. </li><li>Identify and propose strategies around technical problems affecting the team while communicating standards and getting buy-in on solutions. </li></ul>Required Skills and Experience <ul> <li>8+ years professional experience in a relevant domain, with prior experience tech leading projects. An advanced degree can substitute for experience. </li><li>5+ years of professional experience writing production grade software </li><li>BS or MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or related field </li><li>5+ years of experience with C++. This is our main coding language in these systems </li><li>Understanding and familiarity with perception systems and algorithms </li><li>Experience with robotics middleware such as ROS, ZMQ, gRPC </li><li>Familiarity with machine learning algorithms </li><li>Familiarity with GPU accelerated algorithm development </li><li>Familiarity with signal processing algorithms </li><li>A desire to solve challenging robotics problems </li><li>Excellent communication and leadership skills </li><li>Experience with mentorship </li></ul>Desired Skills and Experience <ul> <li>Hands-on experience with computer vision systems, online state estimation, sensor fusion and machine learning </li><li>Experience with perception sensing technologies like radar, camera, acoustics, etc. </li><li>Experience with tracking and filtering algorithms, such as Particle and Kalman filters </li><li>Experience Python and SQL </li><li>Experience with deployment to Nvidia chipsets for robotics, such as the AGX </li><li>Experience working in robotics or autonomous vehicle industries </li></ul>Physical Requirements <ul> <li>Work is performed on a computer and requires ability to operate a keyboard and other peripheral devices. </li></ul>Location: This position is hybrid in Alameda, CA (Onsite 3 days per week required). Our waterfront office offers beautiful views of San Francisco Bay in always sunny Alameda. Even our walls have good karma, our offices mix software development with a hardware production line in the former airplane hangar used to film 'The Matrix'. Benefits: <ul> <li>Medical, dental and vision plans for you and your dependents. </li><li>Short and relaxing ferry ride from the Ferry Building for SF residents </li><li>Enhanced Parental Leave Programs </li><li>Competitive benefits including excellent medical, life insurance, 401k plan </li></ul> A reasonable estimate of the current range is $149,400-$198,000 annually. Catch up on the latest news about us: The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea - The New York Times TIME 100 Most Influential Companies 2024: Saildrone An Underwater Mountain was Newly Discovered off California Coast - San Francisco Chronicle Hacking the Anthropocene with Survivalist Robots [VIDEO] - Freethink An Unprecedented View Inside a Hurricane - EOS Saildrone's First Aluminum Surveyor Autonomous Vessel Splashes Down for Navy Testing - TechCrunch USVs Could Deter IUU Fishing - USNI Proceedings Saildrone Vehicles Track Whales around Offshore Wind Power - Workboat Mullen, Former Joint Chiefs Chairman, to Lead Board for Unmanned Tech Firm Saildrone - Breaking Defense The Navy Is Using Robot Ships to Deter Human Smuggling out of Haiti - Defense One Saildrone's Quiet Voyage: Autonomous Vehicle Aids Great Lakes Fish Stock Study - Up North Live Saildrone Featured Videos Playlist We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. At Saildrone, we value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes people from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe that a diverse and inclusive team leads to innovation and better problem-solving. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, ethnicities, races, sexual orientations, disabilities, and backgrounds. Individual compensation packages are based on geographic location, scope of the role, relevant experience, and the ability to deal with complexity and problem solve within our organization, among other factors. All employees are required to provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. within their first 3 days of work. Please note that the Company does not sponsor employees for work visas or permanent resident cards to work in the U.S. If you need sponsorship for a work visa or green card, you will not be qualified for employment with Saildrone. Any unsolicited resumes/candidate profiles submitted through our website or to personal email accounts of employees of Saildrone are considered property of Saildrone and are not subject to payment of agency fees. #LI-Hybrid #LI-LP1

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Saildrone Inc Salaries by Position

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