I would describe it as more of a chilling effect on voting "not inclined" or raising concerns on performance.
In my experience,
1) being not inclined on such a hire leads to more scrutiny
2) managing performance is prone to more scrutiny
So: while the standard is expected, it's enforced to a lesser degree in practice. Which means a few bad apples abusing this unfortunately make everyone else (in the group who meet/beat the standard) look bad.
You should definitely encourage them to apply to FANGs and not be intimidated by the interview process.
There is a big push and accompanying quota to get more black/latin/native american people into tech companies at all levels.
While I don't agree with this quota system for the inherent racism/unfairness and second order effects[0], possible beneficiaries should take notice and act on it and be a role model.
[0] resentment & hmm, is this person here on merit or on quota?