[solipsism]

Given the data around interviewers making pass/reject decisions within the first few minutes of an interview, I would find it surprising if it wasn't true.

This is ludicrous, given that an interview and a tech talk are completely different things. In particular, an interviewer doesn't generally expect or hope to learn anything useful during an interview. That difference alone makes the situations not comparable.

it doesn't seem meaningful to involk anecdotal data

That anecdote is the only bit of data at hand. The comparison to interviews is mere wild speculation.

[tkxxx7]

> In particular, an interviewer doesn't generally expect or hope to learn anything useful during an interview.

Really? then why are they always asking questions? :p