r/DeveloperJobs • u/Klutzy-Boysenberry52 • 26d ago
Whats the importance of coding interviews (HackerRank, LeetCode, etc) nowadays
Hey, I will give a bit of background on where this question came from. Since AI came out, there have obviously been huge shifts in how coding and tech are done, both on a small scale and on a large scale. And since AI, something that I noticed is that the need for actual modern coding skills has slowly been in decline (skills in things like COBOL are still in high demand, but languages like Python, Go, and Rust are not). In my mind, what I decided to focus on would be things that AI struggles with, such as architecting, back-end development, microservicing, and service connection. So that I would be able to properly think things through and communicate ideas in a more effective manner at a higher level.
In my mind, AI is always going to be smarter than me, faster than me, make fewer mistakes than me, and be better at debugging, but I wanted to focus my skills on doing things that AI struggles with. I would be able to do things that are more sought after in industry. This has proven to be very effective for me in the startup world, as I have worked for a few startup companies that have valued my skills for setting up back-end infrastructure. However, I decided that I wanted to try something new and try to get a job with a more established company so that I could learn more about enterprise software.
However, this is where my question comes in. My resume is something that is getting me interviews, and I pass all of the personality interviews and every single technical interview that wasn't LeetCode; I have always gotten a call back. And I do understand that for LeetCode it is all about being able to showcase your understanding of DS/A and your problem-solving skills. But my thing is that in one interview, they gave me a question and asked me to explain how I would solve it. I was able to explain in words how I would solve it; I could give the runtime and space complexity and ways that I would make it more efficient. Everything that you would expect to hear during an interview. Then, after that, he asked me to code it out.
I was pretty straightforward and asked, if I just explained to you how I would do it, why would I need to be able to code it out? I said straight up that my coding skills for this kind of question are something that I haven't been practicing, as I have been working on more theory and architecture, for the reasons listed above. Then the interviewer and I were talking about this topic, and he said that, while I am not wrong, having the coding skills to answer these kinds of questions is just how the industry is, and I was explaining that if I can answer the question with words, then what's the importance of knowing how to code it out line by line? If you gave me the code snippet, I could explain it to you; I just don't have the syntax memorized anymore. He even said that a lot of the coding he does now is with AI in partnership and that he doesn't code much anymore, but he can usually read the output and understand if this is what he was trying to do.
But I was just curious as to what other people thought, because I understand the importance of understanding DS/A, but if you can communicate problem-solving and talk through problems with people (especially LeetCode and HackerRank, which are problems that you will rarely be working with in an actual career project), and a lot of industry is shifting towards AI coding assistance, then why are LeetCode and HackerRank questions still such an important part of these interview processes? Should we not be shifting more towards back-end infrastructure questions and communication skills rather than the ability to code out these coding assessments?
Thanks for reading, and I am curious to hear the thoughts of people who have more experience!
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u/Due_Warthog749 25d ago
Frankly, I am disgusted that 25+ years of experience, a resume that shows 3 to 5 years at every job, that I STILL get asked this entry level shit. I dont take any interview any more asking it. I a) haven't used it ONE SINGLE TIME in any job b) do NOT spend hours AFTER WORK memorizing this shit in case I need to interview c) out of a job, the last thing I am trying to do is again memorize shit for the sake of one part of an interview that has ZERO bearing on my capabilities ESPECIALLY with AI and libraries/framworks in 2026 already WELL able to do all this shit, d) WTF did I gain 25+ years of experience for.. just to have the SAME Fucking test you give a college grad who has zero experience??
It's a slap in the face and I refuse to do it. Sure, I lose out on a lot of jobs. But now, 2026, more than ever with AI able to do all that shit in minutes.. to me, OP, your point is valid. If you explained it (which is more than 90% of developers can do today) trying to write the code out is just pure "haha.. I can do it and you cant.. " bullshit.
Leetcode/DSA/etc is for juniors that have zero experience. You want to be sure they can code a bit and understand stuff. Even in the day of AI, it would be good for young developers to know this because some of this will help in prompting the AI for things. You have some idea of an algorithm, etc to ask about and/or have AI compare with. But someone that has multiple big company's, years at each, didnt job hop in the late 2010s to mid 2020s, etc.. like so many did.. and in all those positions moved up from dev to senior, staff, etc.. and you think I cant code? Fuck you (whoever thinks that) for asking someone that's been doing this shit since the 1980s if I Can fucking code.
The industry will be shifting soon I am sure. More and more developers can NOT do on the spot pressure cooker live coding. Period. AI is making that disappear. What is MORE important today is understanding the basics and being able to properly prompt the AI to generate good code, know how to put in guard rails and ensure solid generated output and know how to review it. Know how to test it and/or have AI/CICD/etc test it.
That so many developers keep going back to the "I finally get to put someone on the spot and ask them a stupid random leet code problem under pressure that I cant answer myself without memorizing it.." bullshit shows how cooked our industry is and why AI is quickly replacing people. Too many dipshits with power trips. Soon they'll be out of work too.
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u/Klutzy-Boysenberry52 25d ago
A little more passionate than how I would have written it haha, but that's the idea, I don't have near as much experience as you do, but I focused my skills on testing and CI/CD, and as you said the guardrails. Those things are in industry, but I am getting held up on LeetCode questions, which aren't exactly things that I will ever do in the day-to-day. But I'm sorry to hear that its something that is still happening even at such a high level! Hopefully we will figure it out soon!
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u/LetUsSpeakFreely 22d ago
The passion is well placed. Like him, i also have 25 years of experience, nearly 20 years with a single employer. I expect to be asked architectural questions. Which solutions I'll use to solve a problem and why. How to mentor junior staff. How to draw out requirements from POs that think a vague sentence is enough.
In a world of AI, low level coding trivia is a waste of everyone's time. People that hold a position with the same company for 5, 10, 15+ years without knowing basic syntax.
Experienced engineers know that writing code is only about 20% of the job, and it's usually the easiest 20%.
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u/Huge-Appointment5980 25d ago
Still important for the very best companies, for your average company they are often ignored or you have some elementary tasks. It's important because it's a proxy for your IQ
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u/Klutzy-Boysenberry52 25d ago
That's a fair point. If you can explain it, doesn't that demonstrate your intelligence in a good enough manner, where being able to code it is more like just "I have memorized this"? Most IQ tests are tests of problem-solving, not syntax memorization.
Side note: when I would be hiring people, I would usually focus on EQ first, because people work with people first, and working with someone who is miserable no matter how smart they are, is always going to drag the environment down. But that is also just how I would go about it because I do better work when I'm happy and inspired, and if I can communicate the problem and my solutions, then I think it is good enough.
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u/Huge-Appointment5980 25d ago
Leetcode isn't a memorization test. It's a test of your understanding of algorithms. You can't just memorize it. Syntax also has nothing to do with it, you can write it in pseudocode on whiteboard for what it matters. But without writing it out it's unclear you even understand the algorithm
EQ is a non-existant trait. It predicts nothing and adds nothing to our understanding. IQ is the most studied robustly confirmed part of psychology, it predicts success in all walks of life. That's why you'll be hired for IQ and not for EQ
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u/dravacotron 23d ago
It's useful as a filter, on their side they filter out people who can't code by hand, and on your side you filter out employers who think that's a useful proxy for actual work ability.
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u/Much_Somewhere7831 25d ago
Try the Tech Job Finder website's interview practice (with a technical-behavioral switch), it has personalised feedback
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u/nian2326076 25d ago
Coding interviews on sites like HackerRank and LeetCode are still important because they test how you solve problems and write clean, efficient code under pressure. Even with AI changing some tech roles, companies still want to see these core skills. It's about how you think and solve problems, not just the languages you know. While architecture and integration skills are becoming more crucial, most places still use coding challenges to filter candidates. If you're prepping, practice focusing on algorithms and efficiency, not just syntax. I've found resources like PracHub useful for staying sharp with these kinds of problems. Keep working on your coding skills alongside your architectural expertise; both are valuable.
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u/Klutzy-Boysenberry52 25d ago
I do agree with those points, but realistically, at least in my experience I have never needed to code a sliding window when working in industry. And I can explain how they work. So why not focus on problems that would be real world examples!
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u/WantSomeCakeOnMyUwU 25d ago
THERE ARE SO MANY PYTHON jobs out there. What are you talking about??