I just got asked to do the problem where you calculate permutations of coins to total X cents problem. I spent 2 minutes with Claude passing their test suite. I had 58 minutes left in the test so I redid the solution with dynamic programming, converted to TypeScript, added JSDoc annotations, runtime profiling, caching, even some Easter Eggs. They loved it.
I don’t know what the point of these quizzes are now. Actually I never knew what the point was. At least they are amusing now.
I view reliance on Leetcode-style exercises as an attempt at putting a hard number on a notoriously subjective process, whether because a company is cargo-culting big tech, HR wants to eliminate subjectivity as a defense against lawsuits, or because interviewers can't agree how to run things and it ends up being the least-hated solution.
My team's interview process has a couple algorithm questions but they're fairly basic (to ensure you can still code), the main portion is about API design and system architecture. It's not very objective, but I like it since it is directly relevant to our work developing middleware systems and navigating competing interests in the process.
Absolutely not.
I also have 20+ years of experience in software development.
My skills and experience are not available to any companies using Leetcode style interviews.
I would ace the pieces of code but couldn't architect if my life depended on it.
It seems more like a sign of the current hiring climate. There have been a lot of layoffs and contractions in tech, and so companies are getting flooded with applicants (many of whom may not be accurately representing their skills).
My assumption is that these tests are lower effort ways to effectively weed out a large portion of applicants.