"You can't stare at somebody's code and know if you'll like working with them." Sure...and there's not mutual exclusion between the two. Looking at someone's work product is simply another set of data points. I'm not judging someone's fit for a position simply based on a code work product. Or a resume. Or one cultural fit question. I'm using them all to paint a picture and weighing the pieces to determine if I think this person will perform well under the complete circumstances (work/life balance, work required, what team they're on, etc.) Simply put, I've found several different kinds of work products have helped determine positive fit in the past for me.