Estimate the number of active Spotify users in Vietnam.

Guidance

Estimate the number of active Spotify users in Vietnam.

Product Execution

The Estimation Playbook

Estimation questions (Fermi problems) do not test your ability to guess a precise number. They evaluate your structured thinking, how you break down ambiguity, and your comfort with making logical assumptions.

Step 1

Clarify the Scope & Definitions

Never jump into math without defining the terms. If asked to "Estimate Spotify active users in Vietnam," ask: "What defines an 'active user'? Are we talking about Monthly Active Users (MAU) or Daily (DAU)? Does this include both Free and Premium tiers?" Constraining the problem prevents you from solving the wrong equation.

Step 2

Break Down the Equation (Top-Down or Bottom-Up)

Step 3

Make Educated Assumptions (Proxies)

Step 4

Calculate and Round Generously

Step 5

Sanity Check (The Gut Check)

Additional Tips

Label your blind spots: Acknowledge edge cases that your model missed. For example, mention that you didn't account for users with multiple accounts, shared family plans, or bot accounts.
The TPM Pivot (User to System Load): To truly impress, transition from product metrics to system metrics. Once you estimate DAU, say: "As a TPM, I'd take this 4.2M MAU (say 1M DAU), assume 10 sessions/user/day, and calculate the peak QPS (Queries Per Second) to ensure our backend microservices and Redis cache are provisioned correctly."
Write it down: Use the whiteboard. Keeping track of large numbers (millions and billions) in your head is a recipe for disaster under interview stress.

Estimate the number of active Spotify users in Vietnam.

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