[thesmallestcat]

This is like saying running for exercise is a waste of time because you could be driving instead. It's not about knowing a particular sort algorithm. It's about the discipline of solving performance problems in the small. Knowing how quicksort works isn't that helpful. Being accustomed to the thought processes that led to the development of quicksort is important in any non-trivial programming activity. I'm not writing Google-scale services, but I regularly encounter algorithm design problems on the job, and they're never the exact algorithm you studied for some white board exam. I think the author is approaching algorithm study with the wrong attitude.

[noxToken]

I took it to mean that most developers in this current market do not need to know implementation perfect algorithms and data structures like RB trees, depth first search, A*, quicksort, etc. Rather your time is better spent on learning the advantages and disadvantages on the structures and algorithms, and you get more benefit from understanding the implementation. For example, merge sort is dividing a list up into sublists until you hit single element lists and recombine them into a single sorted list. That, in my opinion, is more important than a picture perfect implementation on a white board.

[52-6F-62]

I think it’s more akin to applying for a driving job but they test you on your running rather than your driving. Where you should be practicing your running anyway to maintain your ability to be an alert and healthy driver, but it’s not likely necessary for every driver to be in tip top physical shape to be a good driver.

Some of the interviews at lower paid shops I’ve either participated in or rejected have had more stringent requirements like weird whiteboard questions in the interview while working on more simple implementations (including shops where I found you won’t even be issued your own machine. You partner solely and share) than places where the work will be significantly more difficult and significantly better paid the environment more adult and the perks better.

I know FANG et al employ those tests for various reasons. I think a lot of other places just blindly emulate it.