How would you answer an interview scenario involving API deprecation?

In an interview, I would first define API deprecation and the problem it solves, then explain how I would announce the replacement, publish a support timeline, identify active consumers, add deprecation metadata where possible, monitor usage, and remove only after the agreed window. I would also call out the main failure mode: silently removing an old contract after publishing a new one assumes every client has migrated and can cause avoidable outages. Finally, I would describe how I would test, monitor, and safely roll back or recover the solution.