We are truly in the Hackathon Era – Namanh Kapur interview [Podcast #180]

On this week's episode of the podcast, freeCodeCamp founder Quincy Larson interviews Namanh Kapur. He's a senior software engineer at LinkedIn. He also creates YouTube videos to help developers with their careers. We talk about: - Tips for getting hired in the post-Leetcode world - Tips for cold-DM'ing recruiters and for guessing their email addresses - Why AI tools are going to lead to developers doing less repetitive work and more creative problem solving - And which foundational developer skills he thinks you should prioritize learning Support for this podcast comes from a grant from Wix Studio. Wix Studio provides developers tools to rapidly build websites with everything out-of-the-box, then extend, replace, and break boundaries with code. Learn more at https://wixstudio.com. Support also comes from the 11,384 kind folks who support freeCodeCamp through a monthly donation. You can join these chill human beings and help our charity's mission by going to donate.freecodecamp.org Links we talk about during our conversation: - Namanh's video about two legendary Google engineers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK0I4f8Rbis - Namanh Kapur on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/namanhkapur/?hl=en Contents - 0:00:00 Introduction to Namanh Kapur - 0:00:41 The Roy Lee LeetCode Cheating Tool and Its Implications - 0:03:38 The Frustration with LeetCode Interviews and the Shift to Problem Solving - 0:07:25 Are All the "Hard Problems" in Software Solved? - 0:13:46 Bridging the Gap: How to Become an Elite Developer in the Current Landscape - 0:15:27 The Hackathon/Product Engineering Era - 0:18:43 Distribution vs. Technology and Publicity Stunt - 0:22:11 The Role of Relationships and Sales in Tech Careers - 0:33:36 The Future of Coding Interviews: Avoiding Bias and Proxy-Based Hiring - 0:27:28 The Value of University Education Beyond Technical Skills - 0:30:28 Alternative Paths to Gaining Experience and Knowledge Without a Traditional University Education - 0:36:14 Optimizing for Income: Discipline, Iteration, and Taking Action - 0:43:56 Getting into Big Tech in 2025: Strategies and Market Outlook - 0:47:19 Tactical Advice for Job Searching: Cold DMing and Building Relationships - 0:51:31 Leveraging Events for Networking - 0:53:07 The Evolving Job Market and Adapting to Change - 0:58:17 Positioning for Future Success: Communication, Problem Solving, and Adaptability - 0:59:40 The Value of Hackathons and "Vibe Coding" - 1:01:41 Negotiating Salary and Job Offers - 1:05:25 Navigating Exploding Offers and Prioritizing Work-Life Balance - 1:12:57 Why You Should Be the "Dumbest Person in the Room" - 1:14:51 Recommended First Programming Language: Python - 1:15:51 Essential Data Structures: Hashmaps and Arrays - 1:18:11 Navigating Codebases Quickly as a Senior Engineer - 1:20:01 Advice to Younger Self: Make Noise and Start Early - 1:22:04 Outro