Has interviewing changed or is it still a nightmare?

I think it largely depends on what you consider a nightmare. Luckily, it's a very nice time to be looking for a job, so you have a lot of flexibility for what form of nightmare you're willing to submit yourself to.

Another factor to consider is how much $$$ you're looking for - if it's FAANG level salaries and you hate LeetCode interviews, you're in for a pretty bad time. If you're looking for a high percentile salary relative to other people in the US, there's some pretty good flexibility.

One final factor to consider is how much experience you currently have. I think less experience will correlate more with higher frequency of LeetCode interviews.

Self promo disclaimer: I started a job board that's pulling from the https://github.com/poteto/hiring-without-whiteboards repo and lets you filter companies by their interview process, while also showing the available jobs. I'm in the same boat as you where I'm very cynical of the current interviewing atmosphere, so created the website for people that may feel the same way. My website is https://nowhiteboard.org/

It’s definitely still a nightmare. And I’m very concerned that the current demand, while nice right now, will drop hard at some point in ‘22 as some form of industry “market correction” takes place, likely not long after we start moving back to normal whether COVID remains a threat or not. When that correction happens, expect layoffs. Might be worth sticking it out to maintain or build seniority so that is layoffs do come, hopefully you’ll be spared.

I hope I’m wrong, but I doubt that I am.

I'm a recruiter for an early stage start-up but have worked with numerous companies (pre/post IPO). In my experience the interview process can be a bit a time-suck/nightmare with larger companies. Yes the total compensation is usually higher, but ownership of project is decreased.

I think you have to ask yourself what it is you are looking for... If growth and impact on a product is "what matters most" then consider looking at smaller companies where you can wear multiple hats. If higher compensation is what you are looking for then FAANG companies are right for you.

I personally focus on the experience candidates have throughout the interview process with my team and do my best to balance vetting candidates with giving them enough interactions to know enough to make a educated decision on what move to make, if any...

Been there this year. It's still a nightmare. But the job market is so biased towards developers that you can fail several interviews and still be their best option.