CPU limit reduction throttles throughput
To 'improve density', someone lowers the CPU limit on the billing worker Deployment from 2000m to 500m via a config change merged at 17:00 (no image change). Throughput on the billing queue drops 60% and per-job latency triples, but CPU usage dashboards show the pods using only ~480m — well under the new limit — and there are no OOMs or restarts. The nodes have spare CPU. Triage and explain the mechanism, then mitigate.
What a strong answer looks like
Stop the bleeding first (mitigate), then form hypotheses from real signals. Separate root cause from symptom, communicate status as you go, and close with what prevents a repeat.
0:00 of about 30 min
Which questions mattered is sealed until you submit. Telling you now would just be handing over the edge cases.
Run or narrate your approach, then ask the coach.