[sliverstorm]

A bachelor's degree. I don't have one, I will not get one. Why ask for one when a lot of CS graduates can't program?

This is logically flawed. It is entirely possible that by removing the barrier of bachelor's degree, they will receive even more applicants who cannot program (percentage-wise).

I have no grounds on which to claim this is the case, but it seems entirely feasible and you have simply skipped over it.

Note that I am not taking issue with your personal choices regarding a degree. It is your choice to make, and I respect that.

[apl]

  > This is logically flawed. It is entirely possible that by
  > removing the barrier of bachelor's degree, they will
  > receive even more applicants who cannot program
  > (percentage-wise).

While certainly true, this line of reasoning works a lot better for big companies than small-ish start-ups. Remember: requiring a CS degree acts as a filter with a certain probabilistic efficacy given that CS degree and engineering ability are correlated but distinct.

If you get 10,000 applications a year (as enterprises like Google, Facebook, and Apple do), you don't really have to give a damn about your false negative rate. Go ahead and install severe formal requirements (e.g., needs CS PhD) -- you're still going to get a number of applications that is sufficiently large to statistically guarantee multiple highly suitable candidates, and you'll save tons of money and time in the process.

Non-behemoths can't really afford many false negatives because the applicant pool is far more limited. False positives at the CV/formalism stage are relatively easily filtered at the interview stage due to, again, smaller volume.

[code_pockets]

Yes, good point.

Plus, if you are google/facebook/apple material[1], then a degree is just icing on the cake for them.

Building something that gets a lot of attention is also very attractive to these types of companies.

[1]Whatever that is.

[sliverstorm]

This is a good distinction, thank you.

[troels]

Maybe. But they certainly filter out some candidates that can program. If the aim is to find the best possible candidate (And from the postings it sounds like they aim high), filtering out good candidates is probably a bad strategy.

[code_pockets]

Exactly.

When there are so few good hacker out there, why take a chance to miss out on one?

[code_pockets]

You do make a valid and important point. It does, however, point to a flaw in their recruiting process. They should expect portfolios, and not degrees.

Heck, I know two CS graduates who work at a local fast food restaurant.