Yes, it is crazy but it is not too surprising. There are many examples of maladapted "solutions" to practical problems in the software business and they tend t

Yes, it is crazy but it is not too surprising. There are many examples of maladapted "solutions" to practical problems in the software business and they tend to propagate in spite of being "disfunctional." It took a long time for me to come to terms with the simple fact that conducting job interviews (at least for technical positions) is a process that is imperfect in the extreme. Coming to terms with this fact allowed me to stop seeking 'silver bullet' solutions like algorithm challenges -- which ultimately amount to a plausible (and perhaps even clever) "solution" but does not actual do anything meaningful to remedy the imperfection. It is theatre. It is a feeble attempt at transmuting a job interview into an Apprenticeship.