In this episode of The Programming Podcast, Danny Thompson and Leon Noel discuss the future of tech interviews in an AI-driven world. They share their thoughts on whether data-structure-and-algorithm (DSA) interviews are effective, how pair-programming or take-home tests can reveal a candidate’s real skills, and why many employers worry about AI “cheating.” They also explain why cold applying might be a huge waste of time and how networking is more crucial than ever in today’s tech job market. Finally, they dive into real-world AI coding assistants like Cursor IDE and Cody AI—highlighting what’s hype versus what actually delivers productivity gains.
0:00 Cold Applying & Why Networking Is Better
1:02 Welcome & Podcast Intros
1:28 AI Take-Home Tests & Cheating Concerns
6:00 DSA Interviews vs. Real-World Skills
8:56 Best Tech Interview Experience (AutoZone)
11:00 Behavioral Rounds & Project-Based Hiring
15:18 AI in Interviews & Prompt Engineering
21:04 Networking vs. Cold Applying
23:00 AI Arms Race: Resumes & Branding
25:00 Commit Your Code Conference for Charity
31:01 Cursor IDE & Building Apps with AI
40:55 Cody AI & Training on Your Codebase
42:35 Outro
