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A hiring manager at Anthropic says their team has removed coding questions from its software-engineering interview process after finding that data-structures-and-algorithms interviews provided no useful signal. The change is reported for that team, not as a company-wide policy; its replacement process and any broader rollout have not been detailed.
A team at Anthropic has stopped asking software-engineering candidates coding questions after concluding that its data-structures-and-algorithms interviews provided no useful signal, according to a hiring manager who leads work on Claude Cowork and Claude Desktop. The reported change applies to that team; there is no confirmation that Anthropic has removed coding interviews across the company.
The development was reported in The Pragmatic Engineer’s The Pulse, which cites a blog post by Felix Rieseberg, the Anthropic hiring manager. Rieseberg said the team had stopped asking candidates coding questions for software-engineering roles. The report describes the team’s assessment of the interview method, rather than a published company-wide hiring policy.
The central reason given is that the team got “zero signal” from data-structures-and-algorithms interviews. That is the report’s characterization of the team’s experience: the source material does not provide a study, sample size, scoring data or a comparison with other interview methods. It also does not describe what exercises or evaluation criteria the team uses instead.
The Pulse frames the change as one that other teams at Anthropic or AI-focused startups could follow. That is a possibility raised by the report, not confirmation of a wider shift. No details in the source establish whether other Anthropic groups have adopted the approach or whether the company plans to change its standard process.
A Different Test for Engineering Candidates
The report puts a familiar hiring practice under scrutiny: algorithm-focused coding interviews are often used to assess how candidates reason through technical problems, but this Anthropic team says the format did not help it distinguish candidates. If other teams reach the same conclusion, they may change how they assess applicants and what preparation candidates need.
For job seekers, the immediate practical point is limited but relevant: interview expectations can differ between teams, even within a large technology company. The report does not say that candidates for Anthropic roles will no longer face coding tests, so applicants should not treat this team’s decision as a general rule.
For employers, the decision raises a question about whether an interview task predicts the work a candidate will do. The source does not show that removing coding questions improves hiring outcomes, reduces bias or produces better engineering teams. Those effects would depend on the assessment methods used in their place and how consistently they are applied.
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The Scope of Anthropic’s Change
The report identifies the decision as belonging to a team led by Felix Rieseberg, whose work includes Claude Cowork and Claude Desktop. That detail matters because it locates the change within a particular engineering organization rather than presenting it as a policy issued by Anthropic’s recruiting or company leadership.
The Pulse is a roundup of developments in technology companies and startups. Its item places Anthropic’s hiring change alongside separate stories about AI spending, employee expectations and workforce offers. Those other items do not establish a connection to the interview decision; the coding-interview report stands on Rieseberg’s account of his team’s approach.
The source gives no date for when the team made the change, how long it has been in effect or how many candidates have been interviewed under it. It also does not say whether the team previously relied on a standard coding test or whether the change followed a formal review.
“The team has stopped asking coding questions to candidates for software-engineering jobs.”
— Felix Rieseberg, as quoted in The Pragmatic Engineer
How Far the Policy Extends
Several details remain unreported: what assessment replaces coding questions, whether candidates still complete practical programming exercises, and how the team evaluates technical ability. The source also does not specify when the change began or whether it applies to every role within the team.
There is no confirmation that Anthropic’s other engineering teams have followed suit, or that company leadership has endorsed a broader change. The claim that other AI-native startups may copy the approach is a forecast in the report, not evidence that they have done so. The team’s conclusion about “zero signal” is not accompanied by quantitative evidence in the supplied material.
Whether Other Teams Follow
The next developments to watch are whether Anthropic clarifies the scope of the change and whether Rieseberg or the company describes the team’s replacement assessment. Further reporting could also establish whether other Anthropic groups or AI-focused startups are changing their interview processes.
Until those details emerge, the confirmed development remains a team-level hiring decision reported by The Pragmatic Engineer. It does not, on the available information, amount to Anthropic ending coding interviews across the company.
Key Questions
Did Anthropic end coding interviews company-wide?
No. The report describes a decision by one Anthropic team. It does not confirm a company-wide policy change.
Why did the team stop asking coding questions?
The team reportedly found that data-structures-and-algorithms interviews gave it no useful signal about candidates. The source does not provide supporting data or further detail about that assessment.
Who reported the change?
The Pragmatic Engineer reported it based on a blog post by Felix Rieseberg, an Anthropic hiring manager who leads work on Claude Cowork and Claude Desktop.
What will candidates do instead?
The supplied report does not say. It does not identify a replacement assessment or explain how the team evaluates candidates’ technical skills.
Source: newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com
