It never occured to me either because I expect leetcode wars and gatekeeping, but maybe 10 ago was different?
Re:Ask HN: Who Got Hired?
by runsWphotons on Friday June 02, 2023 @08:38AM
(#36164282)
How many problems do you need to grind to get hired
A lot more today than in 2013, afaik. I know quite a few people who got hired at Fb back then who can’t get hired there now.
I’d say at least 200 problems, if no leetcode experience prior. Maybe 100 if you’re just refreshing. In both cases, I’d say there’s still a ton of luck involved. You can get interviewers who just won’t hire you no matter how well you do on the problem. I think 100/200 is still low for how the industry is today, to ensure at least one reasonable offer.
Very grateful to this community as it had genuinely never occurred to me to apply to work for big tech. Which is obviously dumb, I've been obsessed with the industry since the early 90s, a good reminder that goals and sense of possibilities can be surprisingly blinkered by our environment/culture.