The purpose of a system is what it does. And what Leetcode-style whiteboarding tests—very much not fizzbuzz!—substantially do is select for people who have spec

The purpose of a system is what it does. And what Leetcode-style whiteboarding tests—very much not fizzbuzz!—substantially do is select for people who have specifically prepared for Leetcode-style problems. Describing that as selecting for "obedience" is rather dramatic and provocative, but it's directionally right. That's what the article is about, it isn't about the sort of basic programming test that anybody should be able to pass without explicit preparation.