[b9a2cab5]

IOI contestants (and people that can memorize lots of difficult algorithms) tend to have high intelligence. If you're looking to hire really smart people and you don't care about false negatives, it's a good way to approach the problem.

The entire point is to hire people that 1) are interested in exploring algorithms on their own time (i.e. they're interested in more than just getting paid for a job, they're interested in interesting problems too) 2) are competitive and want to win 3) are hard working and intelligent (i.e. they had to study for these competitions and do well in them).

You might miss a lot of smart people but it's pretty likely if you ask really hard algorithm questions that you'll filter out any not smart people. If you're reacting badly to this style of interview, that's because you're not their target talent pool.

[tibbar]

Actually I’m a fan of algorithms questions! Of course, getting an engineering staff full of IOI medalists is a wonderful situation and will attract more talent. But I and others here are recognizing the role played by practice and grinding on this specific flavor of problem. The author states that intelligence is unchangeable and divides candidates into talent bands - but actually, his test is significantly impacted by factors other than intelligence. His framing is just weird, to be honest. “People who think faster than they can type” isn’t really a meaningful category, yet he’s turned it into a theology of interviewing.