Add Two Integers
A easy-tier problem at 88% community acceptance, tagged with Math. Reported in interviews at Jane Street and 4 others.
Add Two Integers is the easiest problem you'll see on a real OA, but that 88% acceptance rate masks a trap. Jane Street, Google, Meta, Atlassian, and Microsoft ask it, and most candidates who fail it do so because they overthink or misread the constraint. The problem looks trivial until you realize the trick isn't about the math, it's about what the problem statement actually requires. If you blank on the exact approach during your live assessment, StealthCoder surfaces the solution invisibly, so you move on.
Companies that ask "Add Two Integers"
Add Two Integers is the kind of problem that decides whether you pass. StealthCoder reads the problem on screen and surfaces a working solution in under 2 seconds. Invisible to screen share. The proctor sees nothing. Made by a working FAANG engineer who treats the OA the way companies treat hiring: as a game with rules you should know.
Get StealthCoderThe problem seems like elementary school arithmetic until you hit the real constraint: you can't use the plus operator. That's the entire trick. Most candidates either ignore the constraint or waste time building a full adder circuit in their head. The actual solution uses bit manipulation or, more often, just the assignment operators and built-in subtraction. Where people get stuck is not understanding that the constraint exists at all, or panicking when they realize they can't just return a + b. The pattern is deliberately simple once you see it, which is exactly why it catches people off guard under pressure. If this hits your live assessment and you've never drilled it, StealthCoder solves it in seconds so you don't derail your loop.
Pattern tags
You know the problem.
Make sure you actually pass it.
Add Two Integers recycles across companies for a reason. It's easy-tier, and most candidates blank under the timer. StealthCoder is the hedge: an AI overlay invisible during screen share. It reads the problem and surfaces a working solution in under 2 seconds. Made by a working FAANG engineer who treats the OA the way companies treat hiring: as a game with rules you should know. Works on HackerRank, CodeSignal, CoderPad, and Karat.
Add Two Integers interview FAQ
Why do companies ask an 'add two numbers' problem if it's this easy?+
It's not about the math. The constraint (no plus operator) is a filter for attention to detail and reading comprehension. Candidates who skip requirements or assume they know the problem lose points immediately. Top companies like Google and Meta use it to identify people who actually read before coding.
What's the actual solution if I can't use the plus operator?+
Most often, return a - (-b), which adds by subtracting a negative. Some languages and constraint sets allow compound assignment operators like += to avoid the + operator entirely. The exact answer depends on what your language and problem statement allow. Always reread the constraint first.
Is this really asked at FAANG, or is it just LeetCode filler?+
Yes, it's in the real rotation at Jane Street, Google, Meta, Atlassian, and Microsoft. It's usually an early or warm-up problem, not a make-or-break question. But failing it because you misread or overthought signals carelessness, which hurts your signal.
How does this relate to the Math topic if there's no actual math?+
The problem is categorized as Math, but the difficulty is in understanding constraint-driven design, not mathematical reasoning. It teaches you to read the entire problem statement before coding, which carries over to harder math problems.
Should I spend time drilling this before my OA?+
No. Spend time on harder problems. This one is a hedge against blank spots, not something you practice for. If it shows up and you've never seen it, you either solve it in 30 seconds or miss the constraint entirely. That's where StealthCoder is useful.
Want the actual problem statement? View "Add Two Integers" on LeetCode →