[akdas]

This is a great example of intent vs. impact. Regardless of the intent, the impact was negative. Recognizing how their actions impact the candidate is a huge part of interviewing, and the interviewer should have seen the candidate get nervous and adjusted.

That said, given that candidates are generally nervous to some extent anyway, and semi-colons shouldn't matter in a whiteboard interview, that joke seemed like in poor taste to me. That underscores why we need better training and mentorship for interviewers.