Samsara Product Manager Interview Questions + Guide in 2024

Samsara is a leading force in the Connected Operations Cloud, pushing the envelope in harnessing IoT data to improve physical operations’ safety, efficiency, and sustainability. This transformative technology supports essential industries like agriculture, construction, field services, transportation, and manufacturing – vital sectors representing more than 40% of the global GDP.

The product manager role demands a deep understanding of customer needs, a collaborative approach, and an entrepreneurial spirit to bring impactful products to market. Your work will contribute to digitizing operations globally and making tangible improvements that matter.

Thinking about joining Samsara? This guide provides insights into the interview process, typical Samsara product manager interview questions, and helpful tips. Let’s get started!

Recruiter/Hiring Manager Call Screening

If your application passes the initial screening, a member of Samsara’s talent acquisition team will contact you to schedule a call. During this call, the recruiter will verify your experience, skills, and fit for the role. This may involve behavioral questions about your prior work and motivations for joining Samsara.

The call typically lasts about 30 minutes, but as mentioned in some candidates’ feedback, be prepared for potential last-minute rescheduling or communication delays.

Technical Virtual Interview

After completing the recruiter screening, you will be invited to a technical virtual interview. This interview aims to assess your technical competencies relevant to the role you have applied for. For product manager positions, this may include problem-solving tasks, design challenges, and questions about product development.

Expect to answer questions on behavioral scenarios and specific industry knowledge, which can be crucial depending on the role. This session generally lasts for about an hour, but the experience may vary.

Take-Home Assignment and Onsite Interview Rounds

After the virtual technical round, you might have to complete a take-home assignment. This assignment often involves extensive tasks like market research, product design, or presentation deck preparation. Be prepared to spend significant time on it, as it forms a critical part of the evaluation.

Subsequently, you may be invited for onsite interviews, which usually consist of multiple rounds. Expect to engage in detailed technical, behavioral, and potentially case study discussions. You may also be required to present and discuss your take-home assignment.

Feedback from these stages can sometimes be delayed or vague, as noted by past interviewees.

Executive Review and References

There might be an additional interview round for senior roles with an executive vice president or similar high-level stakeholder. This stage may also include a detailed reference check.

Final Decision

Finally, once all the stages have been completed, Samsara makes the final decision. Be prepared for varying timelines, and consider following up if communication delays occur.

Typically, interviews at Samsara vary by role and team, but commonly product manager interviews follow a fairly standardized process across these question topics.

1. Write a SQL query to select the 2nd highest salary in the engineering department.

Write a SQL query to select the 2nd highest salary in the engineering department. If more than one person shares the highest salary, the query should select the next highest salary.

2. Write a function to find the maximum number in a list of integers.

Given a list of integers, write a function that returns the maximum number in the list. If the list is empty, return None.

3. Create a function convert_to_bst to convert a sorted list into a balanced binary tree.

Given a sorted list, create a function convert_to_bst that converts the list into a balanced binary tree. The output binary tree should be balanced, meaning the height difference between the left and right subtree of all the nodes should be at most one.

4. Write a function to simulate drawing balls from a jar.

Write a function to simulate drawing balls from a jar. The colors of the balls are stored in a list named jar, with corresponding counts of the balls stored in the same index in a list called n_balls.

5. Develop a function can_shift to determine if one string can be shifted to become another.

Given two strings A and B, write a function can_shift to return whether or not A can be shifted some number of places to get B.

6. What factors could have biased Jetco’s boarding time study, and what would you investigate?

Jetco’s study found it had the fastest average boarding times among airlines. Identify potential biases in the study and specify what aspects you would examine to validate the results.

7. How much should we budget for the coupon initiative in total?

A ride-sharing app has a probability (p) of dispensing a $5 coupon to a rider. The app services (N) riders. Calculate the total budget needed for the coupon initiative.

8. What is the probability of both riders getting the coupon?

A driver using the app picks up two passengers. Determine the probability that both riders will receive the coupon.

9. What is the probability that only one of them will get the coupon?

A driver using the app picks up two passengers. Determine the probability that only one of the riders will receive the coupon.

10. What is a confidence interval for a statistic?

Explain what a confidence interval is, why it is useful, and how to calculate it.

11. What is the probability that item X would be found on Amazon’s website?

Amazon has a warehouse system where items are located at different distribution centers. Given the probabilities that item X is available at warehouse A (0.6) and warehouse B (0.8), calculate the probability that item X would be found on Amazon’s website.

12. Is this a fair coin?

You flip a coin 10 times, and it comes up tails 8 times and heads twice. Determine if the coin is fair.

13. What are time series models, and why do we need them?

Describe what time series models are and explain why they are necessary compared to less complicated regression models.

14. How would you explain linear regression to a child, a first-year college student, and a seasoned mathematician?

Explain the concept of linear regression to three different audiences: a child, a first-year college student, and a seasoned mathematician, tailoring each explanation to their understanding level.

15. What happens when you run logistic regression on perfectly linearly separable data?

Given a dataset of perfectly linearly separable data, describe the outcome when logistic regression is applied.

16. How would you evaluate and deploy a decision tree model for predicting loan repayment?

As a data scientist at a bank, you need to build a decision tree model to predict loan repayment. Explain how you would evaluate if a decision tree is the right model and how you would assess its performance before and after deployment.

17.How would you justify using a neural network model to non-technical stakeholders?

If tasked with building a neural network model to solve a business problem, explain how you would justify the model’s complexity and explain its predictions to non-technical stakeholders.

18. How does random forest generate the forest and why use it over logistic regression?

Describe the process by which random forest generates its forest and explain why it might be preferred over logistic regression for certain problems.

You should plan thoroughly to increase the chances of advancing through Samsara’s extended hiring process. Here are four specific tips:

• Be Thorough in Industry Knowledge: Given Samsara’s focus on IoT and industries such as transportation, make sure to align your experience and responses with their strategic focus areas, especially if industry-specific knowledge is emphasized in your interview.

• Prepare for Extensive Assignments: Expect detailed take-home assignments requiring market research and product design. Allocate sufficient time to complete these tasks meticulously and ensure you have clear, actionable insights and recommendations.

• Show Proactive Communication: Given several candidates’ noted inconsistencies and lack of organization, keep proactive communication with the hiring team and timely follow-ups to ensure you’re on track and to navigate potential scheduling or feedback delays.

• Do Mock Interviews: Consider trying peer-to-peer mock interviews or our AI interviewer to get real-time feedback even before the actual interview.

What is the average salary for a Product Manager at Samsara?

What is the company culture like at Samsara?

Samsara prides itself on its values, such as “Focus on Customer Success,” “Build for the Long Term,” and “Win as a Team”. The company has a collaborative environment where employees are encouraged to develop their careers and tackle ambitious projects rapidly.

How does Samsara support career growth for Product Managers?

Samsara offers a dynamic work environment with opportunities to impact critical industries. Employees are given autonomy and support to make significant contributions. The company fosters a culture of rapid career development with opportunities to experiment and master different aspects of product management in a high-growth setting.

Navigating the hiring process at Samsara for a Product Manager role has proven to be quite an endeavor. It is crucial for any potential applicant to proceed with eyes wide open and be prepared for a potentially extensive and demanding process.

Despite the aforementioned challenges, Samsara remains dedicated to innovating within physical operations, striving to improve safety, efficiency, and sustainability across critical global industries.

Good luck on your path to impacting the dynamic field of connected operations!