Estimation question

How would you estimate the number of new users Amazon gets in a day?

Practice this question out loud. An AI interviewer asks it, follows up like a real interviewer would, and scores your answer. Type or speak.

What this question tests

Estimation using known scale of an established platform and reasonable growth rate assumptions.

Estimate the platform's total active customer base, commonly cited in the hundreds of millions to over a billion globally across all markets.
Estimate overall annual growth rate in active customers, for example a modest single digit percentage given maturity in many markets.
Convert annual net new customers into a daily figure by dividing by 365, noting this is net growth, not gross new sign ups.
Adjust to reflect gross new sign ups specifically if that is what is being asked, factoring in that many sign ups come from existing household members creating additional accounts.
State the final estimate as a range and clarify whether it represents net platform growth or gross new account creation.

Distinguishes clearly between net new active customers and gross new account sign ups, a key clarification most candidates skip.
Shows the calculation, 1 billion active customers times 5 percent annual growth equals 50 million net new customers a year, divided by 365 gives roughly 137,000 net new customers a day.
States the result as a range and explains gross sign ups would likely be several times higher due to churn and multiple accounts per household.

Not distinguishing between net growth and gross new sign ups, which are very different numbers.
Giving a number with no stated base user count or growth rate assumption.
Ignoring that growth rate likely varies significantly by region.

How would you adjust this for a specific high growth market versus a mature market?
How would you validate this estimate using public earnings report data?