[UK-Al05]

It's a common joke interview question. I don't think anyone has acutally asked it?

I find high end jobs tend to ask some form of problem that can be tackled using dynamic programming techniques. Maybe couple of easier ones in the first interview.

I agree with most people. I never use these skills in the job. I think they're a intelligence test in disguise.

[tfehring]

Oh, if it's just a joke that went over my head then that totally makes sense! Though in fairness there are apparently-serious interview questions that are even easier (e.g. FizzBuzz, though I don't think anyone asks that anymore either) and I've been asked interview questions that aren't much harder.

I mostly agree with your impression, though even after adjusting for intelligence I bet there's a positive correlation between knowing how B-trees work and, say, having a good intuition for how to index a database.