The Elon Musk Interview Question
What were the most difficult problems you faced and how did you solve them?
Without a doubt, one of the most loaded questions Ive come across. By asking this question alone, a hiring manager can determine if they want to hire you or not.
This question has two important parts Im going to go over.
This Is Elon Musks Favourite Question To Ask In Job Interviews
Job interviews are nerve-wracking enough, because you never know what tricky questions will be thrown your way.
But imagine youre being interviewed by none other than Tesla and Space X CEO, Elon Musk, the nerves would probably be truly frayed.
Especially since the billionaire reportedly asks job candidates one head-spinning question that is designed to show a hopeful’s full potential by putting them under pressure.
Mechanical engineer, Tanya Zakowich has shared a TikTok about Musks infamous riddle which now has more than 790,000 views.
You can watch the video in full here.
She begins: Elon Musk asked this question to people that interviewed at SpaceX and Tesla. Think you can get it? Lets try!
TikTok/Tanya Zakowich
Youre standing on the surface of the Earth. You take a walk one mile south, one mile west and one mile north. You end up exactly where you started. Where are you?
It appears that people have also been left just as baffled as to what the correct answer could be, with thousands commenting their thoughts.
One person said: Still finishing the interview…
Another person asked: Well…what the heck is the answer?
Someone else joked: Youre at a Tesla factory in China, India, or Texas.
At your office. Interview? Right? A fourth person quipped.
Others provided more serious suggestions as to what the correct answer could potentially be.
Someone else answered: The North Pole, as youll walk in a triangle, ending back at the North Pole, easy.
How To Answer Elon Musks Interview Question
This conundrum may be leaving you bedazzled in your head, but you are not the only one. The good news is that Musk was not very concerned with applicants giving him the correct response. Interviewers use brainteasers like this one to test a candidates ability to think critically and function under stress, not necessarily to find the right answer.
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Elon Musks Thoughts Over This Question
People really solved the problem, they know exactly how they solved it, Musk explained. They know the little details.
Musk went on to say that a problem solver can answer the question on multiple levels. On the flip side, those who fake saying they solved a problem, can maybe go one level and then they get stuck, Elon said.
Most importantly Elon states, anyone who struggles hard with a problem never forgets it. What Elon is pointing out, is that a solution may become fuzzy over time.
But if youre reintroduced to the problem, everything will soon come back to you. No different than the video game example I discussed in the earlier section.
At first, the details may seem hazy. But, after you get several reps in with the game, everything will rush back to you.
Faqs On Tesla Interviews
Q. How long is the Tesla Hiring process?
A. Teslaâs hiring process takes about two or three weeks on average.
Q. Can you apply for Tesla without a degree?
A. Yes. You can apply for Tesla without a formal degree. According to Elon Musk, your level of education or what school you went to do not matter â what matters is whether you have the skills needed for the job. During a 2014 interview, Musk said, âThereâs no need even to have a college degree at all or even high school .â
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How To Proceed If You Are Uncertain About The Answer
Imagine that you are being interviewed and a question like this is asked of you. How do you behave? Do not worry first. Keep in mind that interviewers may not always be searching for the right response. They only wish to have a better understanding of your method of information processing and problem-solving. Second, resist the urge to sidestep the question.
You are welcome to ask follow-up questions if necessary to further explain the interviewers inquiries. This will demonstrate your curiosity and show them how you approach difficulties. Then, even if you are unsure about the response, begin outlining your reasoning. Explain your assumptions, break the problem down, and then show exactly how you would arrive at your solution, whatever it may be.
To wrap it all up, our work is made much simpler since you are aware that Musk is looking for quality, flexibility under pressure, how you handle uncertainty, and if you were actually technically engaged in producing the outcomes you cite in your application.
Through a combination of planning and practicing your responses to elon musk interview questions as well as practicing solving brainteasers, you may significantly enhance your responses.
The possibility that Elon musks bodyguards arent called musketeers makes me sad.
Top 20+ Elon Musk Interview Questions To Ask
Elon Musk Interview Questions are common among people who admire his work to understand what inspires him to take on such big projects that seem impossible to complete. Weve compiled some of the most interesting questions asked during interviews over the years!
Elon Musk is an American entrepreneur, engineer, inventor, and investor. He is best known for co-founding Tesla Motors and SpaceX and founding Neuralink.
Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa, on June 28, 1971. He moved to Canada at 17 to attend Queens University. After two years, he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and physics. Musk then moved to California to pursue a Ph.D. in energy physics at Stanford University but left the program after two days to become a co-founder of Tesla Motors.
In 2002, Musk founded SpaceX, where he served as CEO and then in 2008 became CEO of Tesla Motors, leading the company through its initial public offering in 2010. In August 2017, Musk founded Neuralink, is a neurotechnology company focused on developing brain-computer interfaces .
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Who Is Elon Musk
Elon Musk is an entrepreneur and the founder of SpaceX and Tesla. He is also the founder of The Boring Company and co-founder of Neuralink and OpenAL. He studied Physics and Business at The University of Pennsylvania and achieved early success as a serial tech entrepreneur.
In fact, he was instrumental in creating the company that we all know as PayPal. Elon Musk is extremely intelligent but also determined and hard-working, which is why he has achieved his success to date.
Musk’s Strategy Is Effective Study Finds
A study published in the Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition last year in December uncovered several approaches to spotting liars based on a job interviewing technique that, funnily enough, backs up the effectiveness of what Musk has been doing for years.
One such technique, called “Asymmetric Information Management” , is designed to provide an interviewee with a clear means to demonstrate their innocence or guilt to the investigator by providing detailed information.
“Small details are the lifeblood of forensic investigations and can provide investigators with facts to check and witnesses to question,” Cody Porter, one of the study’s authors and a Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Portsmouth, wrote in an article for The Conversation.
Specifically, she added, interviewers should give clear instructions to interviewees that “if they provide longer, more detailed statements about the event of interest, then the investigator will be better able to detect if they are telling the truth or lying.”
Porter and her team of researchers found that “truth-tellers” typically seek to demonstrate their innocence and commonly provide more detailed information in response to such instructions.
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What Is Unique About Tesla Interviews
Constant Innovation: As a leading company of cutting-edge innovations, Tesla always works on advanced technologies. This drives as a motivational factor for employees knowing that theyâre going to provide innovative models. This reflects in their recruitment process as well. They look for candidates with innovative ideas.
Exclusive interview with the CEO, Elon Musk: If you make a great impression in the initial interview rounds, you might get a chance to speak to and impress Elon Musk. In the final round, Musk meets a few candidates or talks or speaks to them over the phone.
Elon Musks Favorite Job Interview Question Is Key For Job Seekers
Even if youre not interested in working for Tesla or SpaceX, CEO Elon Musks favorite interview question is an important one to think about. If you come up with a good answer, it could help you land your next gig at wherever you want to work.
Back in 2017, Musk told the World Government Summit that he asked every candidate:
Tell me about some of the most difficult problems you worked on and how you solved them.
Musk interviews quite a few engineers for both Tesla and SpaceX, so the question makes sense: He wants to see how they worked through a thorny issue, step by step. The people who really solved the problem, they know exactly how they solved it, they know the little details, he added at the time.
According to a recent column in Inc., theres sound scientific reasoning behind Musks question: Those who actually know what theyre talking about are inclined to go into detail , while those who have to rely on BS will often gloss over the finer points .
Wherever youre interviewing, and for whatever type of job, one thing should be clear: providing as much detail as possible can only help you, whether youre dealing with a recruiter during the initial stages or youre in the final round with the hiring manager. Most of all, youll want to leverage all that detail to show how you added value to your previous companies, overcame incredible challenges, and/or ultimately left a project better than you found it.
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Types Of Brain Teaser Interview Questions
When it comes to preparing for brain teasers, it helps to understand that these types of questions are typically grouped into two categories: process and creative.
Elon Musk asked his candidates a process question, which is popular for engineering positions. The question likely won’t have an obvious answer, and the candidate will need to talk it through with a step-by-step analysis.
Here’s another example of a process-focused brain teaser question: There’s a school bus parked outside. Approximately how many golf balls would fit inside it?
Again, you probably can’t tell the interviewer exactly how many golf balls can fit into a school bus, but Nick offered up an example of how you could respond: I would calculate or look up the volume of the interior bus space, subtract the volume occupied by the seats, take the volume of a standard gold ball, and divide one into the other to acquire an estimate for the number of golf balls that could fit.
There are also creative brain teasers to consider. An example of a creative brain teaser question is: If you were an African animal, which one would you be and why? With this question, there really isn’t a correct answer. An interviewer simply wants to get to know you better and get a glimpse into the way you think.
The Elon Musk Interview Question Thatll Make Or Break You
One Elon Musk interview question will make or break your job interview. And the mantra of fake it until you make it wont cut it either.
In todays social media age, people of all backgrounds try to be more than who they really are. But when the rubber hits the road, the truth always comes out.
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Be Comfortable On The Spot
Recruiters expect people to show practical skills in whichever role they apply for. If youâre applying for a factory role, youâll be asked to assemble something in front of them. If youâre applying for tech roles, youâll be asked to demonstrate your skills on a whiteboard. So prepare yourself to be comfortable doing things instead of just âspeakingâ at the interview.
What Does Elon Musk Look For In Job Candidates
Between Tesla and SpaceX, Musk employs thousands of people in various roles. Some of the staff consists of engineers, supervisors, factory staff, and support personnel.
You dont need a degree to work at one of Musk’s companies. In fact, he doesnt care about your level of education. What matters to him is your ability to solve problems. While seeking candidates for various jobs at SpaceX, Musk outlined that he was looking for people with strong work ethics, common sense, trustworthiness, and talent for building things. You concluded that the rest you can learn on the job.
A PhD is definitely not required. All that matters is a deep understanding of AI & ability to implement NNs in a way that is actually useful . Dont care if you even graduated high school.
Elon Musk
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Interview Questions At Tesla
At Tesla, you can expect a lot of coding questions that will test your problem-solving ability. The best way to prepare yourself is to solve common coding problems and come up with a pattern to help you solve any unseen problem.
In this section, weâve covered some practice interview questions categorized by job profile.
Software Engineer Interview Questions at Tesla:
- What happens when you search google.com on a search engine?
- Find the shortest path between two Tesla chargers.
- Write a command-line program to evaluate a set of equations like:a = b+2
Sample questionsVideo lecturesIdeal solutions
- Write a problem to find the angle between the hours and minutes hand of a clock.
- How do you address errors in your code?
- How do you organize CSS files, and why do you prefer that approach?
- What programming language do you use to program and why?
- What is the process you follow to create a program from requirements gathering to delivery?
- Describe a stack and explain two operations it performs.
- If youâre hired by Tesla, what proportion of the day will involve coding and other activities youâll perform when not coding?
âSenior Software Engineer Interview Questions at Tesla:
The Devil Is In The Details
In the technique known as “Asymmetric Information Management” , an interviewer clearly tells interviewees that “if they provide longer, more detailed statements about the event of interest, then the investigator will be better able to detect if they are telling the truth or lying,” said Cody Porter, one of the study authors. “Small details are the lifeblood of forensic investigations and can provide investigators with facts to check and witnesses to question.”
In their study, the researchers found that people who are telling the truth generally demonstrate that by providing detailed information. “In contrast, liars wish to conceal their guilt,” said Porter. “This means they are more likely to strategically withhold information in response to the AIM method. Their assumption here is that providing more information will make it easier for the investigator to detect their lie, so instead, they provide less information.”
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Research has found that this technique can increase an interviewer’s chances of spotting liars by 70%.
Some Reddit commenters didn’t find Musk’s trick of the trade all that earth-shaking. “Very standard question,” said one. “I asked this at all my interviews as well. Didn’t even realize this is newsworthy,” commented another. “This could be called the Working Girl method,” concluded a third.
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Discussing What Youve Learned
While its great to talk about your achievements and high points, you may also need to discuss your failures or areas where you could improve.
Question
Walk me through the process of something you designed. Now, if you were to do it all again, what would you change?
Solution
The key to answering this question is picking a problem with as much technical difficulty and complexity that you have designed a solution for as you can think of. Explain this in detail. Then show the different potential paths you could have pursued to solve it and why you chose the solution you chose.
For bonus points, discuss what you were learning along the way as you worked on the problem as well as how you would approach the whole problem differently now that you have gone through the whole process.
You may feel hesitant to discuss areas where you have failed or could improve, but interviewers love to hear about it ! Answering this question shows that you are able to critically assess your own work and seek out improvement, which is a sought after skill.
As with the purpose of the spotting a liar question above, this Elon Musk question is designed to give you the opportunity to display how deeply you think about problems, how you approach problems and what youve learned from a real-life problem.
Problem And The Negative Effect
Example answers are in essence a story telling technique.
Stories work best when they are emotional, and people are more emotional when listening to stories that they resonate with.
With this in mind, the interviewee should, initially, start their story by evoking pain. Charity adverts do this all the time. The advert starts with a film about someone suffering, the audience observing the suffering feel the pain they are seeing.
Its the same within a job interview. Instead of just stating the problem, as most candidates do, give detail this was what Musk encourages during job interviews.
Explain the projected outcome if the situation got out of hand. If no-one dealt with the problem or found a workable solution, what would the negative outcome be?
Ideally, the real-life story will have an emotional effect on the employer, especially if the situation is industry-related the employer may have also been threatened by a similar situation.
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