Akuna Capital is an innovative trading firm dedicated to collaboration, cutting-edge technology, and data-driven solutions in the options market-making space.
As a Software Engineer at Akuna, you will play a crucial role in designing, implementing, and delivering high-performance trading systems that leverage modern C++ technologies. Your responsibilities will include collaborating directly with Traders and Researchers to develop sophisticated, low-latency trading strategies that can capitalize on market opportunities. Key aspects of the role involve leading the design and deployment of trading systems, utilizing your deep technical knowledge in parallel programming, distributed systems, and performance analysis. You will also be expected to engage in Agile methodologies, contribute to code reviews, and troubleshoot complex system issues.
To excel in this role, you should possess at least 3 years of experience in developing scalable applications using modern C++ (C++14 and beyond), and have a solid understanding of data structures and algorithms. Familiarity with financial markets and the ability to react quickly to rapid market changes will be essential. Moreover, being a collaborative team player with strong communication skills will help you thrive in Akuna's dynamic environment.
This guide will equip you with the insights needed to prepare effectively for an interview at Akuna Capital, ensuring you understand the expectations and can demonstrate your fit for this challenging yet rewarding role.
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The interview process for a Software Engineer at Akuna Capital is structured to assess both technical skills and cultural fit within the company. It typically consists of several stages, each designed to evaluate different aspects of a candidate's capabilities.
The first step in the interview process is an online assessment, usually conducted through HackerRank. This assessment typically includes multiple-choice questions and coding challenges that focus on fundamental programming concepts, data structures, and algorithms. Candidates are often given a set time to complete the assessment, which may include both easy and medium-level coding problems. The goal is to gauge the candidate's problem-solving skills and coding proficiency in a controlled environment.
Candidates who perform well in the online assessment are typically invited to a technical phone interview. This interview is often conducted via Zoom or a similar platform and focuses on coding problems that require real-time problem-solving. Candidates may be asked to solve coding challenges while discussing their thought process with the interviewer. Questions may cover topics such as C++ programming, data structures, algorithms, and system design. The interviewers are generally supportive and may provide hints or guidance as candidates work through the problems.
The final stage of the interview process is an onsite interview, which may consist of multiple rounds with different interviewers. This stage is more comprehensive and includes both technical and behavioral assessments. Candidates can expect to engage in coding exercises, system design discussions, and questions about their previous experiences and projects. Interviewers may also assess the candidate's ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively with team members. The onsite interview is an opportunity for candidates to demonstrate their technical expertise and their fit within Akuna's collaborative culture.
After the onsite interviews, candidates may have a final discussion with HR or hiring managers to discuss any remaining questions and to provide insights into the company culture and expectations. This is also a chance for candidates to ask about the team dynamics, project opportunities, and any other concerns they may have.
As you prepare for your interview, it's essential to familiarize yourself with the types of questions that may be asked during each stage of the process.
Here are some tips to help you excel in your interview.
Before your interview, familiarize yourself with the specific technologies and programming languages that Akuna Capital emphasizes, particularly modern C++ (C++11, C++14, C++17) and Linux. Brush up on your knowledge of data structures, algorithms, and multi-threaded programming, as these are crucial for the role. Given the focus on low-latency trading systems, understanding performance optimization techniques will also be beneficial.
Expect to encounter coding challenges that test your problem-solving skills and technical knowledge. Many candidates have reported that the coding questions can range from easy to medium difficulty, often focusing on string manipulation, graph algorithms, and dynamic programming. Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, especially those that are tagged as medium difficulty, to build your confidence.
Akuna values collaboration between software engineers and traders. Be prepared to discuss how you have worked in teams in the past, particularly in high-pressure environments. Highlight your ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly and effectively, as this will be essential when working closely with traders and researchers.
While technical skills are paramount, demonstrating a genuine interest in financial markets and trading strategies can set you apart. Be ready to discuss any relevant experiences or projects that showcase your understanding of trading systems or your enthusiasm for the finance industry. This could include personal projects, coursework, or even relevant internships.
In addition to technical assessments, expect behavioral questions that explore your past experiences and how you handle challenges. Prepare to discuss specific instances where you demonstrated leadership, overcame obstacles, or contributed to a team project. Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to structure your responses effectively.
Given the fast-paced nature of trading, interviewers may assess how you handle stress and rapidly changing conditions. Practice coding under timed conditions to simulate the pressure of the interview environment. If you encounter a challenging question, take a moment to think through your approach before diving into coding. Communicate your thought process clearly to the interviewer, as they may be more interested in your problem-solving approach than the final answer.
At the end of your interview, be prepared to ask insightful questions about Akuna's technology stack, team dynamics, or the specific challenges the trading strategies team is currently facing. This not only shows your interest in the role but also helps you gauge if the company culture aligns with your values and work style.
By following these tips and preparing thoroughly, you can position yourself as a strong candidate for the Software Engineer role at Akuna Capital. Good luck!
In this section, we’ll review the various interview questions that might be asked during a Software Engineer interview at Akuna Capital. The interview process will likely focus on your technical skills, particularly in C++, data structures, algorithms, and your ability to work in a fast-paced trading environment. Be prepared to demonstrate your problem-solving abilities and your understanding of low-latency systems.
This question tests your understanding of tree data structures and recursion.**
Explain your approach to checking the height of the left and right subtrees and ensuring the difference is within the acceptable range.
“I would implement a recursive function that calculates the height of each subtree. If at any point the height difference exceeds one, I would return false. This ensures that the tree remains balanced throughout the traversal.”
This question assesses your knowledge of data structures and caching mechanisms.**
Discuss using a combination of a hash map and a doubly linked list to achieve O(1) time complexity for both get and put operations.
“I would use a hash map to store the keys and their corresponding nodes in a doubly linked list. The most recently used items would be moved to the front of the list, while the least recently used would be evicted from the back when the cache exceeds its capacity.”
This question evaluates your understanding of linked lists and algorithms.**
Mention using Floyd’s Tortoise and Hare algorithm, which uses two pointers moving at different speeds.
“I would use two pointers, one moving at a normal pace and the other at double the speed. If they meet, a cycle exists. If the faster pointer reaches the end, there is no cycle.”
This question tests your ability to optimize algorithms for specific problems.**
Explain the concept of maintaining a window of elements and adjusting its size based on conditions.
“For example, in the maximum sum subarray of size k problem, I would maintain a running sum of the first k elements and then slide the window by adding the next element and subtracting the first element of the previous window.”
This question assesses your string manipulation skills and understanding of hash maps.**
Discuss using a hash map to track the last index of each character and adjusting the start index of the substring accordingly.
“I would iterate through the string while updating the hash map with the last seen index of each character. If a character is repeated, I would move the start index to the right of the last occurrence to ensure the substring remains unique.”
This question evaluates your ability to design scalable and efficient systems.**
Discuss the components of the system, including data ingestion, processing, and order execution, while considering latency and fault tolerance.
“I would design a microservices architecture where each service handles a specific function, such as market data ingestion, order processing, and risk management. I would ensure low latency by using in-memory databases and optimizing network calls.”
This question tests your understanding of asynchronous processing and system reliability.**
Explain the use of a message broker to decouple services and ensure reliable message delivery.
“I would use a message queue like RabbitMQ or Kafka to handle incoming trade requests. This would allow the trading engine to process requests asynchronously, ensuring that no messages are lost even during high traffic.”
This question assesses your knowledge of distributed systems and data integrity.**
Discuss strategies like eventual consistency, distributed transactions, or using consensus algorithms.
“I would implement a two-phase commit protocol for critical transactions to ensure all nodes agree on the state before committing. For less critical data, I would use eventual consistency to allow for higher availability.”
This question evaluates your ability to enhance performance in trading applications.**
Discuss techniques such as reducing computational complexity, optimizing data structures, and minimizing network latency.
“I would analyze the algorithm’s time complexity and identify bottlenecks. By using more efficient data structures, like heaps for priority queues, and minimizing API calls, I could significantly reduce execution time.”
This question tests your understanding of system reliability and observability.**
Explain the importance of logging and monitoring for diagnosing issues in real-time systems.
“I would implement structured logging to capture relevant information and use monitoring tools like Prometheus and Grafana to visualize system health. Alerts would be set up for critical failures to ensure quick responses.”
This question assesses your understanding of C++ fundamentals.**
Discuss the syntax and behavior differences between pointers and references.
“A pointer can be reassigned and can point to null, while a reference must be initialized when declared and cannot be changed to refer to another object. This makes references safer to use in many cases.”
This question evaluates your knowledge of dynamic memory management.**
Discuss the use of new and delete operators, as well as smart pointers for automatic memory management.
“I would use smart pointers like std::unique_ptr and std::shared_ptr to manage memory automatically and prevent leaks. This ensures that memory is released when it is no longer needed without manual intervention.”
This question tests your understanding of C++ resource management.**
Discuss how RAII helps manage resources through object lifetime.
“RAII ensures that resources are tied to the lifetime of objects. When an object goes out of scope, its destructor is called, automatically releasing any resources it holds, which helps prevent memory leaks.”
This question assesses your knowledge of concurrency in C++.**
Discuss the use of mutexes or the Meyers' singleton pattern to ensure thread safety.
“I would use a static local variable in a function to create the singleton instance, which is thread-safe in C++11 and later. Alternatively, I could use a mutex to lock access to the instance during creation.”
This question tests your understanding of performance optimization in C++.**
Discuss how move semantics can improve performance by transferring ownership of resources.
“Move semantics allow resources to be transferred from one object to another without copying, which is particularly useful for managing dynamic memory. By implementing move constructors and move assignment operators, I can optimize resource management in my classes.”