Whether they should or should not pay candidates is a matter of negotiation, not a law of nature. You don’t need to argue the company’s perspective for them, th

Whether they should or should not pay candidates is a matter of negotiation, not a law of nature. You don’t need to argue the company’s perspective for them, they will do it. From the company’s perspective, they are indeed getting value from the homework assignment: an opportunity to evaluate a potential hire. If that seems weird, consider why any company would pay to post a job opening. The price they are willing to pay has nothing to do with the marginal cost of displaying the ad.