At the end of the day, it's a job. If the employer wants you to grind LeetCode to get the job, then yes, you are going to have to do it. It still doesn't make it right though. I have no problem having to jump through hoops, but it does grind my gear when programmers use LeetCode as a badge of honour to show they are superior than others. Elitism within the LeetCode community is very strong.