My guess is that the interviewer was using the question to select for people who choose appropriate solutions.
Someone who suggests a complex highly scalable replicated database architecture for a 5MB database is very likely an unsuitable candidate.
Also the interviewer could be looking for whether someone asks the right questions to be able to suggest an appropriate solution, rather than someone who doesn’t ask, jumps to conclusions, and makes poor assumptions.
Once you have worked with one architectinaut that builds baroque solutions, you make sure you don’t employ that kind of person. Anyone can design something complex, it takes talent to simplify everything properly.
Someone who suggests a complex highly scalable replicated database architecture for a 5MB database is very likely an unsuitable candidate.
Also the interviewer could be looking for whether someone asks the right questions to be able to suggest an appropriate solution, rather than someone who doesn’t ask, jumps to conclusions, and makes poor assumptions.
Once you have worked with one architectinaut that builds baroque solutions, you make sure you don’t employ that kind of person. Anyone can design something complex, it takes talent to simplify everything properly.