I just had the same experience, I basically sailed through to the final interview: four 45min sessions, the first of which was algorithms and data structures.

I just had the same experience, I basically sailed through to the final interview: four 45min sessions, the first of which was algorithms and data structures. I actually completed the task fine, but it definitely took me fumbling around a little to get there. I made a point of explaining my thought process and the questions I was asking as I went, but the problem just wasn’t one you come across much in real-world work. (And you know, algos as the first session in the morning before your brain is fully warmed up is brutal) Importantly, the other sessions (two covering tech they actually use day to day, and a cultural fit one) went great. In the end they passed on me, and when they asked “do you know why?” I correctly guessed it was the lacklustre algo performance. They invited me to “do some study and try again in 12 months”. Interestingly, the fact that they weighed it so heavily turned me off working there anyway. I was also surprised they didn’t ask me for any feedback on the interview process. It was a very interesting experience, but I’ve learned that if I want to apply to anything similar in the future I’ll definitely need to grind more leetcode in preparation. But I’m enjoying taking a break and working on side projects now anyway, and am thinking I won’t be back in an office for awhile :)