Hmm. That might work. But I'm skeptical, for the following reason: the main problem seems to be that most people who have done tech interviews and who don't excel at them have already been "traumatized" by prior interviews that their adrenaline is pumping and almost no amount of sane approaches can lower that tension in an hour or two. Maybe if you spent a half-day doing non-stressful activities and meeting people, and established some modicum of trust, that approach might work. But in an hour or two, there's no way for a stressed candidate to dial-down their anxiety.

It's funny, for years, I was always the one who relaxed and excelled at interviews, because in my current profession, interviews are fundamentally social affairs where you talk about your accomplishments, publications, etc. So as you can imagine, I went into my first tech interview entirely unprepared for the confrontational puzzle-fest that was to ensue. I found the whole experience so jarring that I still am hesitating to pick up the phone and try to schedule an interview for a company I know I would enjoy working for, and for whom I could do great work. I think I require some sort of Zen experience that rids me of my ego entirely before I can approach an interview with the same equanimity that I used to have.