[collyw]

40 hours worth of work is a lot.

That's a weeks wage on what is essentially a lottery ticket, albeit with good odds. (Having done some freelance work for a friend in my Spare time, finding 40 hours free is going to take me weeks).

[bradlys]

Meanwhile, I’ve put hundreds of hours of prep in and never received an offer from FAANG.

It really is a lottery ticket. Luck plays a ridiculously large part of the interview.

[collyw]

I had a phone / screenshare interview with Google one day. Asked me to solve a Soduko problem (I have never done a Sudoko until that point). Didn't get it.

Half an hour later wandering done the street a very elegant solution came to me. I wouldn't say I am bad algorithmic stuff, but as I never practice it's pretty random whether I will get during an interview. "Luck" as you say.