I'm European and have rarely had to be interviewed, but the few interviews I've been on have never asked me any programming specific questions, rather focusing

I'm European and have rarely had to be interviewed, but the few interviews I've been on have never asked me any programming specific questions, rather focusing on what my interests are and how I am as a person. It sounds to me like many companies are trying to hire quiz solvers and people who can figure out how many people can fit into a car. Do the people being interviewed not have any downloadable code samples or coding projects that the company could have eyed through prior to the interview?