I had an extremely disappointing experience with the recruiting team at Abnormal Security.

After multiple email exchanges where I clearly communicated that I was based in the US, I was told that the team could hire U.S.-based candidates and that my experience aligned with an open role. We scheduled a call—only for the recruiter to cancel five minutes before the interview, stating that they were not allowed to hire engineers in the Bay Area. This directly contradicted earlier confirmations.

When I expressed my frustration at the last-minute cancellation and miscommunication, I was told that this was reflective of their “fast-moving startup culture” and that if this kind of mistake upset me, I wouldn’t be a culture fit anyway.

If carelessness, last-minute reversals, and deflecting accountability are part of the company’s values, that’s good to know up front, but disappointing for a company that claims to value “ownership” and “low ego.”

The call was canceled five minutes before it began, so we never got to the interview.

Prior to that, the recruiter mostly asked about my willingness to consider a different role, despite already confirming my location and experience.