Their process may simply be optimized for their particular purposes. Google doesn't need more engineers, but there's a certain kind of hire they don't want to pass up on. No company really needs a genius rockstar coder that's going to quit after two years to become competition. That's why the inode question makes sense. It's a stupid question that deserves a stupid answer. If you're the kind of person that actually gives the stupid answer, you're clearly not a cultural fit. Google is looking for the person that disregards the stupidity of it, who has prepared themselves and gives the "expected" answer.