There are coding questions and there are "coding" questions. If what you say is true nobody needs to "practise" leetcode intensively for 3 months before apply

There are coding questions and there are "coding" questions. If what you say is true nobody needs to "practise" leetcode intensively for 3 months before applying for a SWE role (or have a daily routine that involves leetcoding). Yet our interview philosophy is geared towards those who are actively able to workout before doing a tech interview. If all you want to know is to see if someone "can" code why not ask someone to write something they are familiar with and branch from there? You not only get coding but also an evaluation of maturity. Even if somebody memorized and regurgitated you can easily catch it rather than putting forward a contrived LC problem. PS - I am actually reasonably good at LC but only seasonally as I spend 3 months working out before a job search (thanks to an amazing wife who lets me ignore my kids as I lock myself in my study). The moment i start a job my LC skills drop pitifully and yet I am able to do well at my job (if reviews are anything to go by). I wonder how?