Merge has introduced an AI-native code review platform for engineering hiring that replaces traditional algorithm quizzes with real code assessment work.
The tool tracks how candidates handle revisions, measures their efficiency with AI token use, and generates a scorecard linking candidate actions to code quality and hiring recommendations.
It aims to give hiring teams evidence grounded in actual engineering practice rather than separate assessment formats.
What happened
Merge, a hiring assessment platform, has launched a service that turns code reviews into structured evaluations for engineering candidates. The platform tracks how candidates handle code revisions, measures their efficiency with AI token use, and generates a scorecard with hiring recommendations tied to code quality and risk detection.
Why it matters
Engineering teams have traditionally relied on algorithm quizzes or take-home projects to assess technical skill. Merge grounds evaluations in real code-review work—a task engineers perform every day—rather than artificial tests, which may offer hiring teams more confidence in the signal and better insight into how a candidate actually works.
What to watch
The platform reports token use and estimated cost per candidate, allowing teams to see not just whether a candidate can write code, but how efficiently they use AI tools while doing so.
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Merge addresses a gap in engineering hiring: traditional take-home projects and coding interviews often measure algorithmic problem-solving in isolation, not how engineers work in the environments where they spend most of their time—reviewing and iterating on code. By embedding assessment into the code-review loop, the platform captures authentic signals: how a candidate reads feedback, revises their work, and collaborates through written commentary. This shift from artificial quiz formats to real work may appeal to hiring teams skeptical of pure algorithmic tests.
The platform's explicit measurement of AI token efficiency reflects a practical concern: as engineers increasingly use AI assistants, the ability to use those tools without waste becomes a differentiator. By surfacing token use and estimated cost alongside code quality, Merge offers hiring teams a dimension of assessment that traditional tools cannot—a signal of not just competence but resourcefulness with modern development practices.
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