Write a retry function that takes an async operation, a maximum number of attempts, and a base delay. It calls the operation, and on failure retries it with an exponentially growing pause and random jitter; if all attempts are exhausted, it returns the last error.

How to approach it

The interviewer wants to see whether you can carefully write a retry loop with exact boundaries: exactly N attempts, an immediate return on success, exponential backoff with jitter and a cap, no pause after the last failure, and returning specifically the last error. They also look at whether you clarify the requirements and understand why jitter is needed.