Brex gave me a positive interview experience that focused on the practical demands of the role—stuff I would actually do on the job.

The 3-hour frontend assignment was fun. It was challenging without being tricky, and I could make my own framework choices and work in my own editor, so it felt comfortable. The scope of the assignment wasn't unrealistic, but I doubt many people finish it in its entirety, so don’t let that discourage you. I'd take this kind of interview any day over Leetcode-style problems.

My only gripes were that I could have really used a 5-minute break during the 3-hour coding period. (I could have taken one, but it would have come out of my coding time.) Perhaps they should require a 5-minute break at the midpoint.

Also, for the more senior engineering roles, I think it would be wise for them to probe a bit more for leadership skills. The values interview focused entirely on whether I'd be a good teammate versus an effective leader.

I selected the frontend-focused loop, which had two parts:

— A 1-hour values interview with a variety of behavioral questions.

— A 3-hour combined technical interview, where I was given a feature spec and visual mockup and had to implement as much as possible. Three interviewers cycled through to 'keep me company' (i.e., observe me and answer questions), and at the end, all three spent 30 minutes receiving a code tour and asking questions.