Two big layoffs in the same week

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We are going to solve one of the most popular Binary Tree problems in this week’s coding challenge. Every big tech company has asked it at some point. Let’s do this.

Today we will cover:

• Maximum Depth of Binary Tree

• Monolithic vs Microservices Architecture

Read time: under 4 minutes

CODING CHALLENGE

Maximum Depth of Binary Tree

Given the root of a binary tree, return its maximum depth.

A binary tree's maximum depth is the number of nodes along the longest path from the root node down to the farthest leaf node.

Example 1:

Input: root = [3,9,20,null,null,15,7]
Output: 3

Example 2:

Input: root = [1,null,2]
Output: 2

Solve the problem here before reading the solution.

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SOLUTION

To solve this problem, we can use a recursive approach. For each node, we calculate the maximum depth of its left and right subtrees, and then return the larger value plus 1 (to account for the current node).

If we reach a null node, we return 0 as the depth. This forms our base case for the recursion.

The time complexity of this solution is O(n), where n is the number of nodes in the binary tree, as we need to visit each node exactly once.

SYSTEM DESIGN

Monolithic vs Microservices Architecture

As applications grow larger and more complex, the traditional monolithic architecture can become difficult to maintain and scale. This is where microservices architecture comes in as an alternative approach.

In a monolithic architecture, the entire application is built as a single unit. All features and functionality are packaged together in one codebase. This makes it simple to develop and deploy initially. You can easily make changes, test the whole application, and deploy everything at once.

But monolithic applications have drawbacks. When the codebase grows too large, it becomes harder for developers to understand the entire system. Making changes becomes risky because a small update in one part could break something elsewhere. Scaling is also inefficient because you have to scale the entire application even if only one feature needs more resources.

Microservices architecture takes a different approach by splitting the application into smaller, independent services. Each service handles a specific business function and can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently. For example, in an e-commerce application, you might have separate services for user accounts, product catalog, shopping cart, and payment processing.

This independence makes microservices more flexible. Teams can work on different services without interfering with each other. If the payment service needs more computing power, you can scale just that service instead of the entire application. You can also use different technologies for different services based on what works best for each function.

But microservices come with their own challenges. Managing communication between services is complex and can introduce network latency. Debugging becomes harder because a single user request might involve multiple services. You also need robust monitoring and logging to track what's happening across all services.

Here's a comparison of both approaches:

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NEWS

This Week in the Tech World

Block Cuts 4,000 Jobs, Cites AI: Jack Dorsey slashes nearly 40% of Block's workforce, saying AI tools are enabling the company to do more with fewer people.

Morgan Stanley Cuts 2,500 Jobs: Morgan Stanley is laying off about 3% of its global workforce across all major divisions, citing shifting priorities and AI automation, despite strong 2025 earnings.

OpenAI's Pentagon Deal Sparks Backlash: ChatGPT uninstalls surged 295% after OpenAI partnered with the Pentagon. Anthropic's Claude hit #1 on the App Store after refusing a similar deal.

Apple Launches $599 MacBook Neo: Apple unveiled its cheapest-ever laptop, powered by an iPhone A18 Pro chip. It's the first Mac not running on an M-series processor.

ChatGPT Starts Showing Ads: OpenAI begins an ad pilot in free ChatGPT, with Criteo as its first ad tech partner. Ads are shown based on conversation context.

NVIDIA Invests $4B in Photonics: NVIDIA pours $2B each into Lumentum and Coherent to lock in next-gen optical networking components for AI data centers.

OpenAI Closes Record $110B Round: Amazon, SoftBank, and NVIDIA lead OpenAI's massive funding round, pushing the company's valuation to $840 billion.

Visa and Stripe Expand Stablecoin Partnership: Visa and Stripe team up to enable stablecoin-backed cards in 100 countries, bridging crypto and traditional payments infrastructure.

BONUS

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