I agree that smaller companies are a lot less likely to spend the effort to emulate a FAANG hiring process. For one, job candidates are less willing to undergo

I agree that smaller companies are a lot less likely to spend the effort to emulate a FAANG hiring process. For one, job candidates are less willing to undergo the punishment if they're not going to get to put Google on their resume. I think HN is over-represented by people who work at a FAANG or would like to. They're probably not applying to many jobs at mid-tier companies.