From the perspective of a hiring company, say they have 5 final candidates. Suggesting a 1 week placement will not be practical either for most of the candidate

From the perspective of a hiring company, say they have 5 final candidates. Suggesting a 1 week placement will not be practical either for most of the candidates (who still have their old job) or for the company (who has real work to do and not 5 weeks of on-boarding). Also to compare candidates they need them trying the same thing, not 5 different things. I think a few hours discussing code is a small sacrifice for a fairer, more equitable interview process.