I think these questions are both more of a filter for good storytellers than anything technical.

Edit: Also, for people with good memories/fast recall.

I agree - but it’s nice to have good communication skills on your team. I’ve performed over 400 technical interviews, and one of my big takeaways is that you want lots of different kinds of challenges for candidates. Programming. Knowledge tests. Debugging. Whiteboard problems. Story telling. And so on.

I think this question is great, but a great interview should never lean too heavily on just one modality of assessment.

Or in other words - A cultural fit.