The interview process included:

• A phone screen with the Director.
• An online technical interview with an engineer.
• A take-home test/assignment.
• An in-person interview at their New York office.

The in-person interview was split into three sessions:

• A fairly straightforward coding challenge.
• A fairly abstract design challenge.
• An interpersonal interview with the Director.

The online technical interview and the on-site coding challenge were pretty straightforward. For the on-site challenge, I was offered the option to bring my own laptop, complete it on equipment provided by them, or use a whiteboard. I chose to bring my own laptop but was only allowed the whiteboard option, which is one of my weakest interview methods. I was neither offered lunch before nor taken to dinner after the on-site interview series.

I live in Seattle, so the HR department scheduled all airline and hotel arrangements. My flight from Seattle to New York, booked through Datadog, arrived at midnight the day before the interview. I did not reach the hotel until 3 AM and, as a result, entered the interview process with only two hours of sleep within a 30-hour period after 13 hours of travel. The returning flight was scheduled for 9 AM the morning after the on-site interview cycle.

I would suggest any potential applicant schedule their own transportation to the on-site interview. Sleep deprivation, in my opinion, was a major factor in my failure to effectively answer some of the non-technical questions and to complete, within a reasonable amount of time, the technical portions of the on-site coding challenge.

Overall, the interview process was positive, as all of the interviewers were cordial and seemed familiar with the interview materials (questions, challenges, etc.). None of the interviewing engineers seemed to know much about my past experience, and the on-site interview with the Director was the most positive.

An invitation to the on-site interview is worth accepting if for no other reason than to see the view from their New York Times building office. :)

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