I wanted to relo to the bay area last summer and agree.
What was more bizarre, to me, was that most of the companies never bothered to look at my sample code or projects... and a few in fact said they didn't care what I had done (and proceeded to ask me edge-case algorithms stuff).
What was most off-putting, was the incredible amount of time involved in jumping through the hurdles. I only did this with a few companies, but after you add up: customize resume / cover letter + initial/hr screen + solve this screening coding problem + initial tech screen + anywhere up to 3 more tech screens + solve this more substantial take-home problem + onsite interviews... You're looking at a substantial amount of time.
What was more bizarre, to me, was that most of the companies never bothered to look at my sample code or projects... and a few in fact said they didn't care what I had done (and proceeded to ask me edge-case algorithms stuff).
What was most off-putting, was the incredible amount of time involved in jumping through the hurdles. I only did this with a few companies, but after you add up: customize resume / cover letter + initial/hr screen + solve this screening coding problem + initial tech screen + anywhere up to 3 more tech screens + solve this more substantial take-home problem + onsite interviews... You're looking at a substantial amount of time.