>The fence is there because the risk of doing something new is hard
This is the exact wrong lesson to take from the proverb. Instead of considering why something is still in place, you should consider why it was put in place to start with.
Coding tests came about because some developers can talk a good game but are very poor at software development, and it can take months to realize in more complex code bases. Algorithm tests came about because when interviewing CS majors, you can assume they have had an algorithm class. Many of us know why the fence was put up. We don’t tear it down because it is a complex problem. It just takes one successful company to create a better process and the fences will start coming down, just as whiteboarding has become much less prevelent in the last decade as laptops have become common for developers.
This is the exact wrong lesson to take from the proverb. Instead of considering why something is still in place, you should consider why it was put in place to start with.