Design a multi-agent research system (EXPLAINED)
Multi-agent orchestration is a senior/staff-level system design question gaining traction at Google DeepMind and Microsoft. Learn the supervisor pattern, shared state management, and how to avoid the 'too many agents' anti-pattern that sinks most candidate answers.
TL;DR — Quick Answer
Orchestrator agent delegates to specialist agents (search, summarize, critique) with shared memory and structured handoffs.
The Interview Question
Design a system where multiple agents collaborate to research a topic and produce a report.
Deep Explanation
Use a supervisor/orchestrator pattern: Planner agent creates research outline → Search agent gathers sources → Analyst agent synthesizes → Critic agent reviews for gaps → Writer agent produces final report.
Shared state in a blackboard or message bus. Define clear agent roles, output schemas, and termination conditions.
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