I had five interviews:

• Two generic initial ones
• Two hands-on interviews: a simple LeetCode problem and a system design problem (for which I was asked to prepare by drawing an architecture of my previous job)
• A personality questionnaire

Only afterwards, after receiving two praising emails about their impressions of me, they asked for my salary expectations.

With no further negotiations, they replied a week later to tell me they had "shifted" their view for the role.

This feels like a big waste of time for both parties. The interview process is somewhat longer than most firms, and the company isn't a startup. To make last-minute decisions with no bargaining over salary or expectations at all seems very unprofessional.

How would you behave in a situation where two employers under your supervision come up to you with conflicting solutions?