Published : 06 Oct 2026, 01:56 AM
Updated : 06 Oct 2026, 01:56 AM
HackerRank has made its AI-powered interviewer Chakra generally available, giving employers a way to assess candidates through simulated workplace tasks rather than traditional coding tests, TechCrunch reports.
The tool observes candidates working on real-world code repositories and asks follow-up questions about their decisions. TechCrunch said HackerRank wants Chakra to assess critical thinking, judgement and “AI fluency” alongside technical skills.
HackerRank co-founder and CEO Vivek Ravisankar told TechCrunch that AI has made it easier for candidates to produce finished work, shifting employers’ focus towards understanding how they reached a solution.
Chakra has conducted more than 500,000 interviews during its six-month beta, with Snowflake, Snorkel and Capgemini among companies that tested it.
According to TechCrunch, the system can combine several stages of traditional hiring into one interview. HackerRank also said suspicious-activity flags were 70 percent to 80 percent lower than in comparable assessments.
The company, which has more than 3,000 business customers, sees Chakra as a shift from its traditional coding tests towards evaluating how engineers use AI.
TechCrunch noted that Chakra scores candidates but leaves the final hiring decision to humans. The move has nevertheless raised concerns over bias in automated hiring, with regulators including New York City already scrutinising such tools.
