I applied for the position through the company's job website and went through a phone screen that was entirely technical. I was not given the opportunity to ask any questions.

About a week later, I was invited for an onsite interview. I interviewed with approximately five engineers, including the engineering manager and an architect. Because all of the interviews consisted of challenging problem-solving technical questions, and none focused on behavioral interviewing, it was a mentally taxing interview (eight hours long). This led me to believe that there are likely some difficult individuals within the group.

I answered all of the technical questions correctly. However, the manager then asked me a simple question about the design. I initially misunderstood the question and did not answer it correctly. This appeared to irritate the manager, who re-asked the question, this time with a noticeable tone of irritation.

Despite my having answered his technical questions correctly (some of which were better suited to a C++ software development role than a DV engineering position coding in SystemVerilog), I felt that an interpersonal issue had arisen.

After waiting for a week, I never received a definitive yes or no answer from the company and had to email the HR person to obtain the final decision. It is always preferable for a company to provide a response, as a lack of a yes/no answer can make the company appear disorganized and unprofessional. I believe this reflects an aspect of the group I interviewed with, and it is also consistent with my experiences working with former Nvidia employees who are often touted as the 'best and brightest' from that organization.

What was most difficult about the design you verified?