Is competitive programming necessary for entry into tech giants?

Over the last week I have got lots of questions pertaining to the preparation for technical interviews. The most asked question was,

Do we need to do #competitiveprogramming for nailing the tech interviews for tech giants?

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IMO, No. You do not need to do competitive programming for nailing those interviews. Problem solving skills with right attitude and ability to convert thought into code is what they look for. For senior folks, design skills will also be an important criterion. Competitive programming is just one of the multiple ways that can be used to develop your problem solving skills. One of the multiple ways! not the only way. 

I felt that a lot of students and even experienced folks believe that competitive programming is "The Way". And I felt( and it may/may not be true) it is creating a sense of frustration amongst who do not enjoy it or are not able to solve those problems. Treat it just like any other sport which is not for everyone. Watching somebody playing good football doesn't imply you start competing in that sport. It's a beautiful sport and let it be. You move on!

"Problem Solving Skills" HUH! For some people it comes easy may be they have a better IQ or some anomaly in their brain :P(Joking).

But for most of the people including me, it comes through practicing various problems regularly in a planned manner. It will take time to build up but, keep moving by solving one problem at a time. Do not rush! If you forget stuff, take a deep breath, revise, eat almonds, sleep and come back again. This post is short for approaches which can be used. So skipping that.

Some people might differ by saying there are lots of people in "FAANG" or "FAAMG" who do competitive programming. Yes true! But there are a lot more who have never done that in their entire life and will never do!