If you’re looking to get hired as an individual contributor somewhere else, maybe you should. But judging from this and other posts of yours, you’re not, so you’re probably not doing it wrong.
It’s just that when interviewing, it can few easier to evaluate some algorithm puzzle than to figure out what it means and whether it’s true that “the app is gonna be great.”
Well, that screed I wrote, is a fairly typical "geeky conversation" that can be invaluable, in an interview.
I used to hire pretty senior-level engineers. They would be writing C++ image processing pipeline code, to some insanely exacting standards.
My technique was usually to get them relaxed and comfortable, then start asking them for stories about the projects they've worked on. It was always a joy, when I could get them to start chattering, like the post above. I would look at the enthusiasm, and the passion, as much as the technical detail. I'd love hearing them talk about discovering problems, and how they addressed them.
It’s just that when interviewing, it can few easier to evaluate some algorithm puzzle than to figure out what it means and whether it’s true that “the app is gonna be great.”