I've seen companies hire truly awful senior developers who ended up costing the company quite a lot after they were fired and the entire search had to begin aga

I've seen companies hire truly awful senior developers who ended up costing the company quite a lot after they were fired and the entire search had to begin again 3 months later. If the position is in high demand, you still need to gate it to make sure you get a decent chance at a good hire. Also, I highly suspect companies who are having trouble hiring senior devs are having issues stemming from not paying enough for their given situation.