[zerr]

The "original work" vs "plumbing things" distinction is very vague - we all stand on the shoulders of giants. E.g. PageRank also can be seen as Algebra stuff plumbed together.

Even if we go with your definition - why do you assume that someone who practiced leetcode/hackerrank stuff and thus are able to pass interviews is good with the "original work"?

I tend to think that the current interview practices have two (eventual) goals:

1. Hard to change jobs because practice is needed.

2. Tests how dedicated/desperate the candidate is - willing to allocate time for preps.