That might be true, for you. But I've interviewed many times across the industry -- including most of the big names -- and I'm here to tell you that if you can'

That might be true, for you. But I've interviewed many times across the industry -- including most of the big names -- and I'm here to tell you that if you can't perfectly solve a half-dozen leetcode medium questions on a whiteboard while talking and tap-dancing backwards, you aren't going to get an offer. I've been writing code since I was in elementary school. I've shipped multiple products, including some I mostly/entirely wrote myself. If it were as simple as "proving I can code", I'd have no problem getting offers at every single place I interview. I think you're right that reasonable interviewers behave as you describe. But we're so far down the rabbit hole now that reasonable interviewers are few and far between, and most people are cargo-culting the interview process they themselves have experienced.