> I am assuming it's not really "pick any subject you like" It appears your apparent confusion is due to this assumption. It's the opposite of the process I d

> I am assuming it's not really "pick any subject you like" It appears your apparent confusion is due to this assumption. It's the opposite of the process I described above. I meant exactly what I said. The candidate can pick any topic they like. I trust the candidate to pick a topic to showcase their own skills -- and if they don't, that's another useful datapoint for the hiring process. There's a huge difference between using a predefined process vs letting the candidate drive. It guarantees we won't waste time talking about subjects the candidate isn't familiar with, and that we will focus on their strengths. Figuring out a candidate's strengths is the entire point of interviewing! It's also relevant to the "fairness" issue mentioned above, for the same reason.