The "original work" vs "plumbing things" distinction is very vague - we all stand on the shoulders of giants. E.g. PageRank also can be seen as Algebra stuff pl

The "original work" vs "plumbing things" distinction is very vague - we all stand on the shoulders of giants. E.g. PageRank also can be seen as Algebra stuff plumbed together. Even if we go with your definition - why do you assume that someone who practiced leetcode/hackerrank stuff and thus are able to pass interviews is good with the "original work"? I tend to think that the current interview practices have two (eventual) goals: 1. Hard to change jobs because practice is needed. 2. Tests how dedicated/desperate the candidate is - willing to allocate time for preps.