Google Used to Ask These Questions at Interviews Before They Got Banned. How Many Can You Answer?

Key Points:

• In the 2000s, Google famously used brainteasers like “You are shrunk to the height of a nickel and thrown into a blender” to test candidates’ creativity, intelligence, and composure under pressure during interviews.
• These puzzles, including questions about crossing bridges, fitting golf balls in buses, and coin bias, were designed to assess out-of-the-box thinking but were later found to have no predictive value for job performance.
• By 2013, Google discontinued brainteasers after internal analysis revealed they were a “complete waste of time” and shifted toward structured interviews focusing on role-related knowledge, cognitive ability, leadership, and “Googleyness.”
• Although the puzzles remain popular online and can showcase problem-solving skills, they do not reliably indicate qualities like teamwork, work ethic, or suitability as a colleague, which are crucial for job success.
• The article highlights that while brainteasers are entertaining and intellectually stimulating, they are ineffective as hiring tools and can favor candidates familiar with similar puzzles rather than truly identifying the best employees.