Goodbye to Google Code Jam

Post by mFixman » Sat, Mar 25, 2023, 10:32 AM UTC

slantedview wrote: post #45

adam_arthur wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depends what you’re hiring for. Firstly the interview should be structured with an aim to maximize correlation between success on the interview and success on the job. If you’re not thinking along these lines you aren’t even playing the game. For most startups, the right criteria to screen for is pace and quality of code, plus work ethic. You can ask a relatively easy coding problem, whether it be algorithmic/data st…

Can you elaborate on the distinction between coding competency and leetcoding? I agree with you that leetcode is terrible but I don’t quite follow how your suggestion is very different in practice.

Post by mFixman » Sat, Mar 25, 2023, 10:35 AM UTC

gfd wrote: post #9

Topcoder will also be having their final TCO this year: https://codeforces.com/blog/entry/113201 Google Code Jam and TCO were the two biggest onsite competitive programming event that's not targeted at students. This is a huge blow to the sport.

Post by smohare » Sat, Mar 25, 2023, 10:39 AM UTC

actuator wrote: post #26

pclmulqdq wrote: post #10

Competitive coding has always been a bit of a joke, but it's a great entry vector for kids to get introduced to programming (and eventually software engineering). I'm not entirely sure how to feel about this, though. I have always been suspicious that the existence of the game of competitive coding has been used to kind of justify the "leetcodification" of the tech interview circuit, and (IMO) that can't go away soon…

Why is it a joke? It is like any other sport or Olympiad, it involves solving faster, accurately and potentially of problems you haven't seen before. There is no direct correlation between competitive programming like CodeJam/ICPC and leetcode. They don't target the same audience at all. I couldn't get to the top of these but I do admire people who do, they are some of the absolutely brilliant people I have worked wi…

Post by whiplash451 » Sat, Mar 25, 2023, 11:20 AM UTC

rvz wrote: post #32

paulpauper wrote: post #12

There is no need for coding competitions anymore. The competition is Leetcode. The prize: a high paying job.

Indeed. It is a product of decades of quantitative easing, near zero interest rates and a tech bubble that needed to collapse. Thanks to GPT-4 and other LLMs, this have driven the need for coding competitions and interview tests like Hackerrank, Leetcode, Codility to zero and having almost no use since everyone will just Ch(e)atGPT the coding interview or competition.

Post by FiberBundle » Sat, Mar 25, 2023, 11:47 AM UTC

geraldwhen wrote: post #84

adam_arthur wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depends what you’re hiring for. Firstly the interview should be structured with an aim to maximize correlation between success on the interview and success on the job. If you’re not thinking along these lines you aren’t even playing the game. For most startups, the right criteria to screen for is pace and quality of code, plus work ethic. You can ask a relatively easy coding problem, whether it be algorithmic/data st…

I agree, and I’ve competed at the highest level in programming competitions. Most of my peers there would not be good hires. Top level programming competitions are like top level spelling bees. You need to have as many algorithms memorized as possible in code . That’s right. You need to be able to recite code by memory to pump out algorithm functions as quickly as possible since libs aren’t allowed generally. This is…