Tier 1 Market Maker
HQ: Amsterdam / Chicago / Sydney
Optiver is famously the most aggressive tester of rapid numerical agility. They are the global kings of Options Market Making.
At a Glance
Compensation
Intern: $20k/month
New Grad: $250k - $400k TC
Interviews
Focus: Speed Math ("80 in 8"), Number Sequences, Options Theory.
Tech Stack
Core: C++ (Low Latency), FPGA.
Style: Extremely customized hardware and network stacks.
The Infamous Tests
- 80 in 8 (Mental Math):80 arithmetic questions in 8 minutes.
Example: $0.03 \times 400 - 15 + (\frac{3}{4} \text{ of } 12)$
You need ~70 correct to pass. If you get <60, auto-reject.
Trick: Skip anything that takes >5 seconds. Use approximations. - Number Sequences (Zap-N):"What comes next: 2, 5, 11, 23, ?" (Multiply by 2, add 1: 47).
- Beat the Odds (Probability):Betting games where you must calculate EV and bet accordingly.
Sample Questions
Market Making: The Laptop Game
"I am selling this laptop. It has a sticky note on the bottom with the True Value between $0 and $1000. I will give you hints (Lower/Higher). Make a market (Bid and Ask) at every step."
Key: Start wide ($400 @ $600). Tighten as you get info. Don't get picked off.
Sequence: The Fraction
1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 4/5...
What is the limit as N → Infinity? (1).
Culture & Perks
- Global Mobility: Easy to move between Amsterdam, Chicago, and Sydney offices.
- Barista: Full-time barista making coffee all day (Amsterdam HQ).
- Flat Structure: Very open floor plan. Loud trading floor atmosphere.
- Merit Bonus: Bonuses are heavily tied to desk PnL. If the desk kills it, you get paid.