How to Evaluate Senior Engineers Without Leetcode
It is the year 2026 and there are still companies asking senior engineers with 10, 15, 20 years of experience building production systems to reverse a binary tree on a whiteboard.
A senior engineer's job is figuring out which system to build, how to build it so it doesn't fall over at scale, and how to bring a team along for the ride. Leetcode tests none of this.
I've worked for many startups. I've watched incredible engineers bomb interviews because they didn't remember the optimal solution to "Minimum Window Substring" off the top of their head.
Why Leetcode Fails for Senior Hires
It tests memorization, not engineering ability. Candidates who've ground through 500 practice problems perform better than candidates who spent those hours building actual systems.
It's negatively correlated with seniority. The more senior someone is, the further they are from algorithms coursework.
It introduces massive bias. Who has time to grind 500 problems? Not the engineer with two kids working 50 hours a week. Not the self-taught developer.
The best senior engineers opt out. They have options. They don't need to put up with a process that disrespects their experience.
Better Evaluation Methods
1. System Design + Code Review (90 min). Give a real problem your team has faced and a real pull request. Have a conversation about tradeoffs, failure modes, and code quality. Tests architecture thinking and attention to detail in one session.
2. Past Project Deep-Dive (45 min). "What was the hardest technical decision?" "What would you do differently?" "What broke in production and how did you debug it?"
3. Pair Programming on a Real Problem (60 min). A real task from your actual codebase. They can Google things. They can ask questions. Like actual work.
The Right Interview Loop
- Recruiter screen (30 min)
- Technical deep-dive - system design + code review (90 min)
- Hiring manager conversation + offer discussion (45 min)
Total: under 3 hours. Three meetings, max. Every minute evaluates something that matters.
When you switch to a respectful process, say so in your outreach. "No leetcode. We evaluate through system design, code review, and project discussions". That line alone will increase your response rate from senior candidates.