Is LeetCode Dead? What 2026 Coding Interviews Test

HackerRank's CEO has published a letter that says "We’re sorry we made you grind leetcode." It is one of many posts asking whether LeetCode is dead. The short answer is no: the companies people prepare for most still run algorithm rounds. The longer answer is that many loops now add a different kind of round next to them, and it tests skills that grinding puzzles does not train. This guide lists what changed, with dates and sources, what did not, and what that means for your time. It is part of our AI coding interview overview.

Practice the new round. AICodingRound gives you real multi-file code, your own Claude or Codex as a coach, and a report on how you did. Start with Back-to-back bookings rejected (easy, about 20 min). The beta is free and places are limited: get a place.

The claim

HackerRank's letter is the clearest version. Its CEO writes that the company "helped normalize a version of technical hiring that turned into months of grinding questions," and lists what it is changing: "Algorithmic questions → real work in code repositories," and "Code correctness → AI fluency and judgment" (HackerRank, undated).

Keep the source in mind. HackerRank sells the new format: it made its AI interviewer, Chakra, generally available on October 5, 2026, saying it had already run "more than 500,000 interviews during testing" (TechCrunch). The letter is a real signal about where vendors are going. It is not evidence that your next loop has no algorithm round.

What changed, by date

The pattern: the new rounds work on existing code, allow some form of AI, and ask you to explain what you did.

What did not change

• Meta still has a classic round. Hello Interview's E5 guide describes the onsite as "1 traditional coding round, 1 AI-enabled coding round," plus system design and behavioral (Hello Interview; reported).
• Google has not dropped its coding interviews. Tech Times, summarizing Business Insider, says "Google has not announced plans to eliminate conventional coding interviews" (Tech Times).
• Most companies still ban AI in interviews. In Karat's survey of 400 engineering leaders, "over half (62%) of organizations still prohibit AI use in technical interviews" (Karat, January 7, 2026). Anthropic's live interviews are "no AI assistance unless we indicate otherwise" (Anthropic, updated July 10, 2025). Amazon's candidate guidelines are reported to say "please do not use GenAI tools during your interview unless explicitly permitted" (ITPro, March 14, 2025).
• The new rounds still use algorithm ideas. Reported problems in Meta's AI round include a maze solver that prints the path (Hello Interview). LinkedIn's AI round is reported to use "LRU caches, interval merging, frequency-based eviction, data transformation" (Hello Interview). The AI is in the room, but the puzzle often is too.

So the honest answer is "no, but." LeetCode-style practice still pays off in the classic round, and the patterns it teaches show up inside some AI rounds. What it does not cover is the rest of the new round.

What the new rounds reward

Read the descriptions the companies and vendors give, and the same few skills come up.

• Reading code you did not write. Google's pilot is a "code comprehension" round. Meta's is reported to start with fixing a bug in an existing project.
• Judging AI output. Canva asks: "Can they identify and fix issues in AI-generated code?" HackerRank's letter moves evaluation to "AI fluency and judgment."
• Explaining your work. Hello Interview quotes a line it attributes to Meta's internal guidance: "Should use AI, but need to show you understand the code" (reported).
• Not breaking other things. Real repositories have tests and callers. A fix that passes one test and breaks another is visible.

Karat's report puts it in leaders' words: "skills like problem-solving, adaptability, and AI collaboration have become more valuable." It also found that "71% of leaders say AI is making technical skills harder to assess" (Karat).

How to split your prep time

This is our suggestion, not a company rule. Ask your recruiter which rounds you will get, then adjust.

For real-code practice, the useful sessions share three things. The code is unfamiliar, it has several files and a test suite, and you have to explain your change at the end. If an AI is allowed, use it to explain and check, not to skip the reading.

Our LeetCode alternatives guide maps tools to each round type.

Practice the real-code half on AICodingRound

AICodingRound is built for the real-code half: the round more loops now add, and the one most candidates have never practiced. You work a ticket inside a working multi-file app, in Python, TypeScript or SQL. Your own Claude or Codex is there as a coach: it reads code and explains, but it does not write the fix, so the reading, checking and explaining stay yours.

One problem per type to start:

• Bug hunt: Back-to-back bookings rejected (easy, Python, about 20 min).
• Feature build: Save a cart for later (medium, TypeScript, about 50 min).
• AI pull request review: Review the AI's reminders PR (medium, Python, about 30 min).
• Test writing: Stop rescheduling from regressing (medium, Python, about 40 min).

When you submit, your work is checked automatically (tests check a fix or feature, and that nothing else broke), then a short debrief asks you to explain your change. The report gives a level per skill (Strong, Solid or Developing), including how you used the AI. Keep your puzzle practice for the classic round, since we have no algorithm problems, and spend the rest of your hours here. The beta is free and places are limited: get a place.

For how the new round works in detail, read what an AI coding round is.