That is a false comparison. A function is not comparable to a promise chain. A chain of callbacks can be cancelled by simply returning early in one callback instead of calling or responding to a forthcoming additional event.

Not all Node APIs have promise methods regardless of the few you use personally. This sounds more like people trying to impose their vanity opinions. The mentality of: It sometimes works for me, so other people are wrong if they don't do it the way that matches my preferences.

and even question why someone uses callbacks in their code if I interview them.

Why would you pose the question if you already biased against the answer? Is this an attempt to prejudice a candidate?