I had a phone interview where we discussed a design problem. Afterward, I was asked to code it and email the solution to the interviewer. Following that, I was invited for an onsite interview after the code review.

The onsite interview was comprehensive. It began with a brief meeting with the recruiter, who shared insights into the company culture and benefits. I must say, the benefits are great, and the people I encountered seemed genuinely happy and excited. The palpable energy indicated that the employees were enjoying their time there.

This was followed by an hour-long technical interview, which included two whiteboard questions. The first was a simple string reversal problem. I presented a solution that the interviewer was not aware of, and I explained it to him. The second question concerned the underlying algorithm for URL shorteners. We started with a base case and gradually progressed toward the final solution. I did get stuck at times during this question but was eventually able to solve it.

I was scheduled for three more interviews. However, after the first technical session, the recruiter informed me that they had decided not to proceed with my candidacy. This was somewhat surprising, as I felt the interview had gone acceptably (not great, but not too bad either). I suspect they were looking for someone who could solve the second question more quickly and with fewer difficulties.

It was a bit disappointing, as I liked the company and would have been enthusiastic about working there. I would have appreciated the opportunity to interact with more people and gauge their opinions of me as a candidate. However, it's understandable that they are seeking exceptionally brilliant engineers, and perhaps I did not meet that standard on this occasion.

The office environment appeared wonderful, and the employees seemed passionate about their work and programming in general. I would recommend this company as a worthwhile opportunity for anyone to explore.

The questions were not difficult (details already covered in the preceding paragraph). A few simple things, like a remainder, skipped my mind, which caused a hiccup.