>>"In an effort to simulate their work environment, they bring in 50 job candidates at one time and pair them for 20 minutes. This is because work at Menlo is done in pairs, two people sharing a single computer, passing the mouse back and forth while brainstorming ideas.

They give them an exercise typical of the kinds of work done at Menlo. While the pair work together, a staff member observes their interactions. At the end of 20 minutes, everyone will get new exercises, new partners, and new observers. Twenty minutes later, they will switch for a third time."

Talk about extreme - excuse the pun - commoditisation of programming. Your experiences no longer matter. Just walk in, do your audition, and hope you can shine against the herd. This is frankly ridiculous and I cannot think of a single benefit this would yield.