I'd like to say that I appreciate this comment even though I disagree. It's true that you can be a perfectly good or even above average developer without ever using BFS, and interviewers shouldn't pretend this is not so. It's also true that software development is a problem solving job. You are paid for your ability to think for yourself and solve a problem. BFS is artificial but also a nice self-contained exercise that any developer worth his salt should be able to figure out.