Merge Strings Alternately

Merge two strings by taking characters alternately, beginning with the first string, then append the unmatched suffix when one string is exhausted. The candidate explicitly identified the prompt as unchanged LeetCode 1768. Requirements Given two strings, build a result by alternating one character from the first string and one from the second string. Begin with the first string. If one string is longer, append its remaining characters after the alternating portion. Notes The candidate confirmed that this was LeetCode 1768 without a stated modification. This was the second coding task and appeared near the end of the technical interview, with little time remaining.