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LeetCode-style interviews persist mainly because they self-select for candidates who'll tolerate pointless corporate busywork, not because the skills tested are used on the job.

Orosz argues that grinding through DSA interview prep, despite its irrelevance to daily work, signals a candidate's willingness to endure meaningless tasks — which is exactly what makes them fit well at Big Tech companies. ✦ AI generated

Gergely Orosz · The Pragmatic Engineer · 2026-07-08 · original ↗

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However, a candidate who's willing to grind for weeks or months to prepare for an interview which bears little resemblance to the job, is likely to be someone who understands that sometimes it's necessary to do pointless work. This suggests they'll probably have a much better time in Big Tech than someone who refuses to engage with meaningless tasks.

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✳ Big Tech ✳ leetcode

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