3. Explain a database to your 8-year-old nephew in three sentences.
Google has gained a reputation as a company that makes cutting-edge technology approachable, even to the least tech-savvy among us. Beginning with their roots as the internet's leading search engine, Google's M.O. is to provide us the information we need in a format that's understandable and relevant to our needs. By asking interviewees to explain a database, they ensure that the potential hire understands the tech concepts behind the work that they'll be doing. However, by asking them to explain it in three sentences, and in a way a child could understand, they also test the applicant's ability to turn this deep knowledge into something easily understood and used. That's Google's mission as a company, so it's important that individual workers possess that talent as well.