I have a controversial, philosophical explanation why that is:
Leet code is useless in the real world, everybody knows it. But one would find that people that are able to sit down and learn something useless and stupid only because their boss asked it makes for better employees.
The modern corporate world does not like free thinkers, if not within easily controllable parameters.
The solution for the ones that have better to do that to memorize dumb quizzes for weeks, only to get paid to write basic React components all day, is to go work for yourself, become a consultant, or move to another career.
I half agree. I know people who have a natural curiosity of algos & DS - most predictably, people who did algo/ds competitions/competitive programming. To them, leetcode is easy shit, and just naturally so. E.g. I had a group of friends who would ace Advent of Code every year while I muddled through (and always get stuck on day 7 or 10).
So I think leetcode interviews get both those groups - the ones you mentioned, who work hard and study (and thus demonstrate good qualities of being employees), _or_ those who are so good at this stuff that leetcode won't even make them sweat.
I don't think that's controversial at all - maybe only in the sense that people generally don't like hearing it, but I'm sure that anyone who has ever worked in a corporate environment knows this.
Well the vast majority of casual HN readers aren't actual bonafide geniuses nor are they super hard working. So of course they don't want to consider it and so these posts keep getting voted up.
Leet code is useless in the real world, everybody knows it. But one would find that people that are able to sit down and learn something useless and stupid only because their boss asked it makes for better employees.
The modern corporate world does not like free thinkers, if not within easily controllable parameters.
The solution for the ones that have better to do that to memorize dumb quizzes for weeks, only to get paid to write basic React components all day, is to go work for yourself, become a consultant, or move to another career.