I’ve passed on interviews in the past that require me to pick up an algorithms text book. The vast majority of people will never need to write code utilizing any of that. FAANG companies in particular are ridiculous for needing months of study to pass their interviews.
I often wonder if FAANG’s determination to find who can write the best algorithms backfires, and may be the reason a lot of the work they produce seems so over-engineered.
When your interview processes selects for people who like puzzles then you end up with people writing clever code that looks like a puzzle.
Not to mention, even if we put aside relevance, the “sit down and solve this algorithm problem right now while I watch you” interview can be WAY harder for neurodivergent types, and imo (depending on how things are done), can effectively amount to discrimination.
Yup. I can’t think when I’m nervous
hmmm… what actually is a linked list…?
Also, I have never once had to actually implement a linked list in my entire career, outside of a job interview