To see it from another perspective, imagine what your response would be if you found out that someone you were interviewing was pretending to know something they didn't, just because they preferred to work with people smart enough to notice they were faking.
I agree. I never proposed that. I said I purposely ask questions the person at hand might consider dumb.
Note that many classic “dumb” questions are actually interesting, if not in their specifics then in why so many people ask them.
> imagine what your response would be if you found out that someone you were interviewing was pretending to know something they didn't
Again, asking dumb questions doesn’t require lying. Everyone goes through a dumb-question asking phase when learning. (I do.) The worst effect of this might be the interviewee walking away thinking me uninformed. Which, if I’m interviewing them, I probably am (relative to them). That’s why they’re being sought! In any case, people thinking I’m dumb is a fair price to pay for a well-tempered executive.
You’re a perfectly-reasonable person. I also think you’d find the work those positions do frustrating.
You can’t tell a multibillion-dollar client they’re asking stupid questions. You also can’t ignore the potential problems their asking them hints at. Walking away, usually, isn’t an option. Similarly, a CEO and CFO must be able to productively field “dumb” questions from potential investors, acquirers, distributors and yes, employees. “Dumb question” shouldn’t frankly exist as a category in certain relationships. Only opportunities to improve mutual understanding.
Not every role is for everyone. And not everyone is for each role. Part of interviewing, in my opinion, is not only qualifying for fit with the company but also fit with the role. (For solely internally-facing roles, I prefer a let’s get a walk/beer/take a hike together chat.)