[mdswanson]

It is. Or at least it was for some of us. I didn't care if the candidate ever got the right answer. I cared about the thinking, the questions, the strategies, and the conversation.

[TZubiri]

And if some interpretations lead to trivial solutions, but one leads to a complex problem, it's likely that their intention is the latter. A kind of tacit communication

[MarkusQ]

Actually, it may just as likely be that the interviewer is looking to see if you over complicate things. So _ask_.