I applied through university. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Arista Networks (Los Angeles, CA) in Nov 2017
Interview
Met them at the career fair. The recruiter asked me a lot of questions on OS. A week later, I received an email asking me to interview by ssh into their server and code in C.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
They asked me to ssh into their server and asked me write a code on binary search trees. That was followed by questions on pointers, macros and trees. Also asked about network protocols towards the end of the interview
It was average. They asked me to code 2 questions and perform a more efficient approach for both. However, for some reason, they rejected me 30 mins after the interview was done.
The interview consists of one round, which includes solving a Leetcode Medium-level coding problem and a comprehensive review of your resume, covering projects, experience, and technical skills in detail. Full time roles can have more interviews
I applied through university. I interviewed at Arista Networks (Bengaluru) in Aug 2025
Interview
1. Data Structures (Tree Traversals)
Asked to explain and write the algorithms for Inorder, Preorder, and Postorder traversal of a binary tree.
Follow-up: difference between DFS and BFS traversals.
2. C/C++ Programming Concepts
Questions around:
Memory & Pointers → how pointers work, pointer arithmetic, dangling pointers.
Pass by value vs pass by reference in C/C++.
A question on JWT (JSON Web Token) – concept, usage in authentication, and security aspects.
3. Tree Coding Question
Problem: Check if a target value exists along any root-to-leaf path.
Required to construct the full binary tree and then write the function for path-sum/target check.
Expected to implement full code (not just pseudo code).
4. Bit Manipulation Problem
A logic-based coding problem using bitwise operators.
Example (not exact wording): Given a number, perform certain bit manipulations (like checking set bits, or toggling).
5. Next Greater Element (Variation)
Classic stack-based problem: find the next greater element for each element in an array.
Variation was asked (could be circular array or next greater frequency element).
Needed optimized solution (O(n) with stack).
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Questions on pointers and memory (pointer arithmetic, dangling pointers).
Difference between pass by value and pass by reference, with code examples.
Some discussion around dynamic memory allocation and how it’s managed in C++.
Emphasis on understanding how things work at a low-level in memory, not just syntax.