While that may be true, if you're really top talent as he's suggesting he is, you probably aren't part of that 99% either. And that's the problem I have with the article in general. It has a very prima donna attitude to it. As in: "I'm so good you need to soften the interview for me and the fact I'm demanding that is proof enough that I'm that good."
White-boarding in a high pressure situation is simply a different "skill"... I think it's fair to say that most coders are "internal" thinkers / introverts, that do their best work when they have a chance to quietly think about a problem.
On the whiteboard, you're asking them to do the exact opposite.
Eliminating the "brainfuck" white-board questions doesn't mean you need to soften the interview. You can actually give a more substantial take-home problem to your final round of candidates.
Well, brainfuck questions in general aren't all that useful, whether you do them on the board or take it home. But if you can't do basic stuff on a whiteboard or a sheet of paper, that's a red flag to me.
But, I'm biased. I would never do a take home interview shrug
Yes anyone who has aspirations to be a professional in this industry really should be happy to take a problem and come up with some outline solutions/approaches on the fly.
Though as my first job was at a RnD Organisation this was expected from everyone from the shop guys to the Boss (the then president of the mechanicals) I might have a higher expectaion than most :-)
