The submission is no longer the evidence

I have reviewed a lot of technical take-home assignments, and one thing has changed completely.

The submission is no longer the evidence.

One candidate sent in a strong solution. Clean structure. Sensible decisions. Well written.

Then, in the technical interview, I picked one small thing from his own code and asked why it was there.

He could not explain it.

I simplified the question.

Still nothing.

At that point, I stopped caring whether he used ChatGPT, copied it, got help, or paid someone. I could not prove any of that.

But I could prove this:

The code was better than the candidate's understanding of it.

That is the real signal now.

Interviewers should stop trying to detect AI and start testing ownership.

Before you submit, take the smartest-looking parts of your solution and explain them out loud.

Pick one decision from the submission and go three levels down:

Why did you do this?

What breaks if I remove it?

What would you use instead?

Then change one constraint and ask again.

Someone who owns the solution can move around inside it. Defend it. Attack it. Change their mind. Explain the trade-off.

Someone who only has the answer usually cannot.

And candidates should prepare for exactly this.

Before you submit, take the smartest-looking parts of your solution and explain them out loud.

If you cannot explain a line, learn it or remove it.

Use AI. Use Copilot. Use whatever helps.

But once your name is on the work, the question is no longer who typed it.

The question is whether you own it.

See you next Tuesday.