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It's easy to criticize the current state of tech interviews but I've never really heard anyone propose a better solution.

Startups ask questions 80% of engineers can answer because they don't have many applicants. Dropbox might have 50 decent applicants who could all probably do the job for every opening. How do you decide who gets it? Ask an easier question and you end up with way more passes than you have openings.

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To be clear: not criticizing the current state of hiring. I agree nothing better exists, and it's a narrow mindset to think companies do this when there are better approaches.

My point is Dropbox asks questions that are beyond what its peers ask, even companies not its peer (FAANG, which we don't think Dropbox is apart of).

This is an explicit decision by the engineering leaders at Dropbox. It's interesting, and I'm wondering if it works for them.

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