Listen "Detect Fraud & Scam Content: E6 Interview with a Meta Engineer"
Episode Synopsis
REPLAY EPISODE: In this episode of Whiteboard Confidential, an aspiring ML engineer with no formal industry experience impresses a Meta interviewer by tackling a complex system design question: how would you detect fraudulent or scam content on Facebook?Despite never having held an ML job, the candidate delivers a calm, clear, and deeply thoughtful design that rivals what you’d expect from an IC5–IC6 engineer. From feature pipelines and model architecture to deployment strategy and label bias, this interview is packed with insight. The feedback section is especially valuable, touching on how to ask better clarifying questions, start simpler, and negotiate an offer—even in a tough market.A must-watch for anyone preparing for ML system design interviews at top tech companies.Sign up to book coaching or to watch more interviews in our showcase: https://www.interviewing.ioSee the interviewer’s feedback and transcript here: https://start.interviewing.io/showcase/KQwiaFnBEwALOr view other Meta interviews here: https://interviewing.io/mocks?company=metaDisclaimer: All interviews are shared with explicit permission from the interviewer and the interviewee, and all interviews are anonymous. interviewing.io has the sole right to distribute this content.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction and candidate background00:30 System design prompt: ML model to detect scam content13:00 Architecture walkthrough and feature engineering36:00 Modeling strategy, focal loss, and label bias48:00 Interviewer feedback and praise51:00 Advice on simplifying, asking questions, and tradeoffs1:07:00 Meta-specific offer negotiation tips and job market talk
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