My Troll Puzzle

Guiding you through the hardest interview question I’ve ever encountered

The Problem

You’re a sharp young professional on your way to interview for a job at InfoTech GigaSystems corp, the hot new startup in town. You’re almost there when suddenly, a grumpy troll appears in your way, blocking the only bridge with access to your destination.

Mondays, am I right?

It’s me, and I’ve got a twinkle in my eye as I offer you access to my bridge, but only if you solve the following riddle:

Ansel, Brooklyn, Cathy, Diego, and Ethan are all perfectly rational, equally intelligent friends. One day, they’re out fishing and they catch a briefcase stuffed with 1000 ordinary $1 bills.

Inside the briefcase is a note which says the money shall be split democratically. Everyone present gets one vote, and any plan which gets at least half of the votes is accepted. If a plan fails, whoever proposed that plan is thrown overboard, and someone else gets to propose a plan. Proposals go in order alphabetically, by name.

Everyone’s first priority is to avoid getting thrown overboard. Otherwise, all they care about is getting as much money as they can.

Who stays? Who gets cast overboard? How much money does everyone get?

You accept my challenge, perhaps thinking through some

helpful hints and examples

before moving forward to the

solution.