The interview process began with a phone call from the recruiter, followed by a technical phone screen. The recruiter call was a standard screening, with the recruiter specifically mentioning that they do not use LeetCode interviews.

The technical interview presented a highly niche problem. While it might be encountered in a CS undergraduate course, successfully completing a fully functional application within the allotted time could be challenging if one hadn't previously encountered such problems in their work or studies. As others have noted, this approach is not scalable.

I also want to discuss the "unique" interview experience. This particular interview made me appreciate the common practice of using LeetCode. LeetCode interviews are something candidates can prepare for, and they follow a standard rubric for evaluation. While not necessarily the best method for judging candidates, it provides a structure for preparation. When preparing for interviews and balancing multiple opportunities, an interview like this can consume a significant amount of time unless working there is your absolute priority. That being said, it was a learning experience.

Discord also highlights in their blog posts how they have calibrated these "unique" questions internally. This suggests a work environment where employees may feel closely monitored and expected to complete a substantial amount of work quickly, potentially with equity options that may not materialize, especially when compared to other opportunities.

These are factors to consider when interviewing with them. The exercise is intended to simulate working with a colleague. However, an employee cannot achieve optimal learning and experimentation if they are subjected to a set of unrealistic expectations. Pair coding should not be time-limited or stressful, making LeetCode a preferable format in comparison.

The question was given in another review here. There's no way to prepare for this unless you see the review. Therefore, prepare and study projects having to do with socket servers, I guess, until they change to some other niche question.