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Think the technical interview is dead? Think again

by Kari McMahon6 May 2026

The technical interview is evolving as AI-assisted coding becomes the norm.

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Highlights

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    • Traditional algorithmic and LeetCode-style tests are slowly shifting toward assessing how candidates review and debug AI-generated code.
    • Smaller companies are rapidly integrating AI into interviews, while major firms remain more cautious.
    • Assessment criteria are moving toward system design, technical judgment, and the ability to handle ambiguity within large, unfamiliar codebases using AI assistance
  • We still need to measure how engineers do problem exploration, coding, validation, and communication. The only thing that changes is the way we look at it.

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In summary, the most interesting aspect is that while technical interviews are evolving to assess how candidates review and debug AI-generated code, the transition is surprisingly slow due to entrenched standardization, the difficulty of ranking non-standardized outputs, and a strategic reliance on traditional tests to verify baseline skills.

  • Technical interviews are shifting from pure algorithmic problem-solving to evaluating how candidates review, debug, and architect with AI assistance.
  • Major tech firms are adopting these changes more cautiously than smaller companies, largely because traditional tests provide a standardized baseline for filtering candidates.
  • The industry struggles with recalibrating interviewers, defining productivity metrics for AI-augmented work, and ranking candidates without standardized answers.
  • Actionable takeaway for candidates: Focus on developing strong system design skills, learning to effectively prompt and audit AI code, and practicing clear technical communication over rote memorization.

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