The interview process consisted of one screening round followed by four technical rounds:

Introduction & Craft Demonstration: Conducted by four interviewers. Technical Interview: Conducted by two interviewers. AI Assessment: Conducted by one interviewer. Technical Manager Interview: Conducted by one interviewer.

Unfortunately, the experience during the technical manager round was disappointing. The hiring manager joined the call 10 minutes late and appeared disengaged throughout the session, frequently responding to office chats instead of actively participating in the interview. She suggested opening a document and writing the details there, showing minimal effort to engage in a meaningful conversation. Based on this interaction, I would not have accepted an offer even if it had been extended.

On a positive note, the staff-level and principal-level interviewers were professional and conducted insightful discussions that added value to the process.

After weeks of follow-up, feedback was finally shared, indicating that the hiring manager felt the challenging project presented during the interview was not sufficiently challenging. It remains unclear if the resume filtering and candidate selection were handled by someone else.

In summary, I would not recommend investing the effort to complete five rounds of interviews, only to face delays, unclear expectations, and disengagement from key stakeholders.

Shortlisting: Coin change problem.