What factors are contributing to the unexpected 30% increase in latency for Innovid's interactive video ad delivery system this month?

Introduction

The unexpected 30% increase in latency for Innovid's interactive video ad delivery system this month presents a critical challenge that demands immediate attention. As we delve into this issue, we'll employ a systematic approach to identify, validate, and address the root cause while considering both short-term fixes and long-term strategic implications.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Looking at the timing, I'm thinking this could be related to recent system changes. Have there been any significant updates or deployments to the ad delivery system in the past month?

Why it matters: Recent changes often correlate with performance issues. Expected answer: Yes, there was a major update. Impact on approach: If yes, we'd focus on rollback options and code review.

• Considering user segments, I'm wondering if this latency increase is uniform across all advertisers and campaigns. Are we seeing any patterns in terms of affected users or content types?

Why it matters: Segmentation could reveal specific problem areas. Expected answer: The issue affects certain ad formats more than others. Impact on approach: We'd prioritize investigating those specific ad formats.

• Given the scale of the increase, I'm curious about our monitoring systems. Has there been any change in how we measure or define latency recently?

Why it matters: Ensures we're dealing with a real issue, not a measurement anomaly. Expected answer: No changes to measurement systems. Impact on approach: If changed, we'd need to validate our metrics first.

• Thinking about external factors, have we seen any significant spikes in traffic or changes in user behavior that could explain this latency increase?

Why it matters: External factors could be straining our system. Expected answer: Traffic has been within normal ranges. Impact on approach: If traffic spiked, we'd focus on scaling solutions.