[n_t]

> "Since your interviewer is a friend, a buddy, a team member who’s on your side and means well for you (Refer to 4), talk to them while you're figuring it out."

I strongly disagree with this. It is true in theory but doesn't work in practice. Most FAANG interviewers are looking for a fast optimal solution. Unless you are interviewing for very junior role, if you take hints from interviewer, it'll likely go against you.

[derpistan]

It depends. It's better to get a candidate unstuck with a few hints and then not give them a perfect score, than just staring at them while they struggle then crash and burn and panic. Sometime a little hint is all it takes, and then you get to see a great solution you didn't expect, or awesome code, and the candidate still passes the bar - while not in flying colors.

[thesumofall]

The way I read this is that he simply encourages you to talk and share your thought process while solving the problem. If you are stuck, you will have to take hints anyway, but until then taking aloud helps the interviewer and might as well help you by forcing you to articulate your thoughts in a structured manner.

When interviewing people (non-technical roles, but roles heavy on problem solving) I always encourage them to share their thought process. Plenty people who I hired not because of the right solution, but because they convinced me that they can think creatively and in a structured manner (i.e., clarifying the problem statement, identifying things that are the most critical, ...)