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Anthropic engineer declares the coding interview dead

AIOctober 29, 20261 min read

An engineering manager at Anthropic, the AI company that makes Claude, says traditional coding interviews are no longer useful. He argues that AI can now do the tasks these tests check.

What happened

Felix Rieseberg, an engineering manager at Anthropic, wrote in a blog post that he has stopped using classic coding interviews for his team. He said small coding tests are no longer a good way to find strong candidates. He believes the coding interview is dead, because AI like Claude can do these tasks better than people.

Key facts

The blog post was published on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
Nicole Bachaud of ZipRecruiter said 62.5 percent of tech employers in the Information sector require formal skill tests on initial applications.
ZipRecruiter's October 2026 Employer Survey covered 1,500 employers.
Stripe's interview process, as described by Educative, has a phone screen, a technical phone interview, and several on-site interviews.

Some background

A coding interview is a test where a job candidate writes computer code while being watched or timed. Companies use these tests to check problem-solving and programming skills. Many big tech firms, such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Facebook, have used them for years. The style of test can differ from one company to another.

Why it matters

If AI can pass the tests that companies use to hire people, those tests may not show who will do well at the job. Some people in tech agree with Rieseberg. Others say the rest of the industry is moving slowly and still relies on skill tests. The debate is about how to find good workers in an age of AI.

What to watch

Whether Google and other big tech companies change how they run coding interviews.
Whether more companies ask candidates to show how they use AI coding tools.
Whether skill tests remain common across the tech industry.

Glossary

Anthropic: An AI company that makes the Claude AI models.
Claude: An AI model made by Anthropic that can write and understand text and code.
coding interview: A job test where a candidate writes computer code while being observed.
ZipRecruiter: A job website that also studies hiring trends among employers.
Stripe: A company that builds software tools for businesses to accept online payments.

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