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The axis

Grilling is a conversation, not an interview — the agent asks the questions, but you decide where it goes, set the scope and keep things on track (5:41).

flowchart LR
    P["Too passive<br/>· 540-question interviews<br/>· scope explodes<br/>· questions far too low fidelity"] --- G["Active leadership<br/>steer the conversation"] --- A["Too active / pigheaded<br/>· grilling endlessly on low-fidelity questions<br/>· not getting to code fast enough"]

Failure mode — too passive

  • The author suspects the huge grilling sessions people report are the result of sitting back too much (5:41).
  • Left unled, the agent will do stupid things with the interview: ask 540 questions, explode the scope, ask about things far too low fidelity to matter (6:10).
  • Remedy: take an active hand (6:10).

Failure mode — too active

  • The opposite failure is also real: being pigheaded and continuing to grill on low-fidelity questions when you should build something and see it in action (6:10).
  • Two failure modes hide in this single lens: sitting back too much, and not getting to code fast enough (6:36).

Practical check

  • While using the skills, explicitly ask yourself where you fall on the passive ↔ pushy axis (6:36).