As someone who has interviewed software engineers at a place like FB, I disagree. Sure, if you came in and stridently argued that this is the only possible solu

As someone who has interviewed software engineers at a place like FB, I disagree. Sure, if you came in and stridently argued that this is the only possible solution, or if you couldn't explain the reasons you prefer it, or the tradeoffs involved, that's a bad sign. Technical interviews are all about understanding how you approach problems, what kinds of solutions you're comfortable with, and how flexible you can be in the face of the types of constraints we encounter in our day to day jobs. So yes, someone who only knows one solution, and a non-standrd one at that, isn't likely to do well. But someone who knows the "rules" (aka the standard patterns) and can make a well-reasoned argument for breaking them in a specific situation is exactly the kind of engineer I'm looking for.