Comment by grugagag
It’s not about memorizing individual problems per se, but rather recognizing overall patterns and turning the process into a gameable endeavor. This can give candidates an edge, but it doesn’t necessarily demonstrate higher-level ability beyond surface familiarity with common patterns and the expectations around them. I’d understand the value if the job actually involved work similar to what's reflected in leetCode style problems, but in most cases, that couldn’t be further from reality. leetCode serves little purpose beyond measuring a candidate’s willingness to invest time and effort. That’s the only real virtue it rewards. But ultimately, I believe leetCode style interviews are measuring the wrong metric.
>a candidate’s willingness to invest time and effort
I guess it's a matter of opinion but my point is, this is probably the right metric. Arguably, the kind of people who shut up and play along with these stupid games because that's where the money is make better team players in large for-profit organizations than those who take a principled stance against ever touching Leetcode because their efforts wouldn't contribute anything to the art.