[dominotw]

I can say you are def an exception, most ppl get slower at these in their 40's than in their 20's.

You seem to have gotten faster. For most people this knowledge tends to atrophy as they age. Maybe you are lucky enough to work at job that requires you to write algorithms from scratch ( embedded engg?).

What is your theory as to why that homebrew guy wasn't able to solve simple recursion problem ?

[virgilp]

Either bad interviewer ( focused on syntax rather than problem-solving skills), bad day, or simply this:

> people would do amazing stuff despite failing basic algorithmic tasks. That's what makes hiring decisions so hard.)

It's important to note that this doesn't mean algorithm tests are inherently broken. People who can't solve _basic_ algorithmic problems tend to be weak employees. Rejecting them screws your recall (a few would be amazing if hired) but tends to improve the precision a lot, so the trade-off is often worth it.