The process was spread-out but extremely well coordinated and communicated. Expectations were perfectly managed.

Since I was remote, I went through a set of three phone screenings, each very technical. Passing each phone screen led to the next, with passing the final round leading to an in-person interview and a trip to Menlo Park, CA.

The pictures of the campus don't do it justice; it's a truly surprising environment.

I truly can't say enough about how awesome their recruiting staff is. They always replied promptly and helpfully, and were excellent about working around my schedule every step of the way.

In the final analysis, I just wasn't a good fit for the position, and I even agree with them. After seeing and hearing so much of the cool stuff they do behind the scenes and are working on, I am not (yet) qualified for that job. In the end, the thing I felt most qualified in was my "big stumble." What I learned was that to be on their level, it wasn't enough to have just done what I've done for a long time; they justifiably want an expert in multiple disciplines.

Their benefits are absurdly great. Everything they offer is top-notch, including their facility in Menlo Park, where the old Sun research campus used to be.

In the end, it was a great experience. I got to interview with one of the biggest internet companies in the world, meet some brilliant people, and see just how great their environment is. I realized that in the right environment, I can go head-to-head with some of the best, and I got a quick trip out there to boot!

Why wouldn't you want a root DNS server to answer queries for you, instead of delegating you to an authoritative server?

For a given set of software check-ins, write a program that will determine which part along the branch the fault lies.