Unpopular Opinions on LeetCode Grinding | Generated by AI
Question: What are some unpopular opinions about practicing on LeetCode and Codeforces?
Answer:
Here are some genuinely unpopular (or at least contrarian) opinions that frequently get downvoted or trigger strong pushback in programming communities:
-
LeetCode/Codeforces grinding is mostly a waste of time for real-world software engineering careers
After the first ~200–300 medium problems, additional grinding correlates very weakly with on-the-job performance at most companies (FAANG included). The skills that transfer are basic algorithm knowledge and calm problem-solving under time pressure—both plateau early. -
“LeetCode hard” problems are terrible interviews and even worse preparation
They reward obscure tricks, pattern-hoarding, and speed-typing more than engineering judgment. Companies that rely on them end up hiring fast contest programmers who often underperform in system design, refactoring, and collaboration. -
Competitive programming (Codeforces) actively harms your ability to write maintainable production code
CP optimizes for minimal constant factors, golfed variable names, and zero error handling. These habits are directly antithetical to writing readable, robust code in a team setting. -
Most people who claim “I got FAANG offers because of LeetCode” actually got them because of referrals, timing, or pedigree
LeetCode was just the admission ticket, not the differentiator. Plenty of 1500–2000 rated CPers or people with 400–600 LeetCode problems still get rejected everywhere. -
NeetCode 150 / Grind75 is already overkill for 95% of interviews
Doing 800+ problems is usually a coping mechanism for anxiety or imposter syndrome rather than a rational preparation strategy. -
Virtual contests and upsolving marathons destroy work-life balance for marginal gains
Spending 4–6 hours every weekend on Codeforces rounds when you’re already above ~1600 rating adds almost nothing to your hiring prospects but burns you out. -
The “LeetCode premium is worth it” crowd is coping hard
Almost every premium problem is a minor variation of a free one; the discussion solutions are the real value and you can usually find them elsewhere (editorials, YouTube, friends). -
People who brag about their LeetCode contest rankings are usually mediocre engineers
High contest ranks correlate with youth, free time, and early specialization—not with long-term engineering excellence. Many top CP competitors wash out of industry within a few years. -
Interview prep culture has made the entire hiring process worse for everyone
It turned what used to be reasonable algorithmic screening into an arms race that filters for grinding tolerance rather than talent.
These opinions tend to be very unpopular among the subset of people who are deep in the grinding pipeline (especially college students and job-switchers), but they’re surprisingly common among senior engineers and hiring managers who have been on both sides of the table for years.
References:
- Blind threads on LeetCode over-preparation (various)
- Hacker News discussions on CP vs real engineering
- Codeforces blog posts criticizing grinding culture (e.g., tourist, Petr)