Bigger companies often don't let you through like that though. My friends are constantly offering to refer me to roles at their companies, but every one of them would still involve going through the whiteboard interview ritual. For now, I'm not taking them up on the offers because I'm not confident I'll pass the leetcode rounds.
Another time, apparently saying the phrase "binary tree" was enough to clear the whiteboard and move along to the next question with a gold star.
Another time I was hired after doing zero programming exercises and just telling the company that I had a competing offer (which I did).
I've had some baffling rejections as well.
If a guy can do well that kind of well rounded project, even by cheating, I want him and his network all the same.
But yeah. "Networking" by meeting groups of strangers for drinks probably wont get you a job. But making friends who happen to work in (entrepreneurial) tech might.