Good and Bad? This problem is very basic and might attempt to demonstrate the candidate's competency around basic algorithms, data structures, and performance

Good and Bad? This problem is very basic and might attempt to demonstrate the candidate's competency around basic algorithms, data structures, and performance (although nothing was specified about efficiency and this is very basic). I feel like good programmers code all the time and love to solve problems with code. So it seems like the average coder would not have much aversion to something like this. The biggest issue is that it may not even reflect the domain that the candidate would normally work in. What if this was a javascript job? Would this be a good filter? As developers, we have access to so much information on so many topics around computer science. I think they are important to know, but they can also be referenced and learned. It seems like an invaluable skill set (at early stage startups) is to be able to "figure stuff out". For me, the ideal hiring process is to do a quick phone screen and filter by existing code sample, then "hiring" a candidate for the day, have them come in, work on a small project alone for half the day, then spend the other half pairing and refactoring the project. This may seem like a lot, but you learn important things, like if someone can quickly work on something on their own, how they work with other team members, an example of their personality with team and in office, etc. At the end of the day, I am looking to hire people that "fit" personality-wise and can get sh*t done, groking what they need to and overcoming any obstacles in the way.