Initial communication: Referred by an employee, I learned from a staffing agent that they were looking for a match. Once I was in the system, it took about two weeks to hear from the interested groups.

Phone screen: This "tell me how you would do this" type of interview focused on pertinent questions related to the group's work, with no "oddball" questions. After two days, I was invited for an on-site interview.

On-site interview: I interviewed with two groups. The process began at 8 am and lasted through dinner (taken out by the prospective manager) until about 9 pm. The interview process followed the "famous Microsoft style": applicants visit various future colleagues in their offices, where they are asked questions to probe their intelligence. A decision is made, and when handing the applicant off to the next interviewer, the interviewer is informed of the questions asked and initial impressions.

There were no "why are manhole covers round" type of questions. Most were coding questions, which I found boring and not indicative of intelligence, and a few math questions (probability and statistics).

I observed that the work environment truly depends on team dynamics. Each group operates as a small fiefdom, competing with other groups.

Of the two groups, I had no interest in joining one, and was very attracted to the other. Unfortunately, the group I preferred deliberated but decided not to extend an offer. The final process took two days. I had initial salary negotiations with the hiring agent: a ballpark of $100,000 salary (given my PhD) and up to a $20,000 bonus per year, plus the fabulous Microsoft benefits package.

In the end, I accepted a more family-friendly and lucrative job elsewhere.

How much would you be willing to pay to join the following game?

Start with $0 on the table. You flip a fair coin. If the coin is heads, I add $1, and you flip again. If the coin is tails, you walk away with the cash on the table.

What if I place a cap, D, on the amount of money you can earn (alternatively, you can flip the coin up to D times)? Now, what is the amount of dollars you are willing to pay to play this game?