Meta's binary tradeoff questions: why 'it depends' fails in PM interviews
Meta and other top tech companies are rejecting candidates who can't make clear choices. Learn how to ace their new binary tradeoff questions and demonstrate decisive product thinking.
I just published a guest post on Paweł Huryn's excellent newsletter. It covers one of the biggest shifts in PM interviews I've seen in years — and how to get ahead of it.
Companies like Meta are moving away from open-ended "it depends" questions and leaning hard into binary tradeoffs — scenarios that force candidates to make a clear choice between two strong options.
In the post, I cover:
Why "it depends" no longer works at top companies
How Meta really evaluates product thinking
What indecision signals to interviewers (hint: it's not good)
How to confidently answer binary tradeoff questions
Three examples to help you practice
Read the guest post Meta PM Interview Questions 2025: How to Answer Binary Tradeoffs with Confidence
— Lewis
P.S. These insights come from my completely rewritten 5th edition of Decode and Conquer that just launched. After coaching thousands of candidates, I've seen how mastering binary tradeoff questions separates those who get offers from those who don't. Get the full playbook at lewis-lin.com/decode-and-conquer.
