They reached out to me, and I was really hesitant because I wasn't a storage expert, nor did I think storage was that exciting.

Also, when I reviewed some people's experiences here on Glassdoor, I thought I didn't want to get into a trick-question grilling. I have worked hard enough in my life, and I had just finished almost a decade at Google.

My experience was the exact opposite. I met the director of engineering, and he was incredibly impressive. The conversation and questions focused on what I consider the most important aspects of engineering, not semantics, tricks, or format. It was clear that he "gets it".

Then I started to do some research on the company, and wow – their technology was awesome. I had no idea that you could even do with storage what Pure has done. The challenges they have taken on were really interesting and uber-challenging. For an engineer, it's awesome.

So then I started getting interested. Smart people, cool engineering... okay, now we are getting somewhere.

My second round of interviews was tough. They got to the nuts and bolts of engineering. I met the CTO and some Senior Engineers. I got the dreaded binary tree question and what boiled down to algorithm questions. It was very clear, and I think what people miss in these comments, is that they are looking to understand how people think and problem-solve.

I certainly didn't encounter condescending attitudes or negative pushback. They are also very focused on a cultural fit, and they almost want you to succeed. Which is great; that is what you want.

However, if you come in looking for a Senior title or try to BS your way through, they will know.

I decided to take the job, and yeah, it's a great place to work. Like Google in the early days, super smart people, everyone focused on getting stuff done, and maybe a big pop in the not-so-far future. Probably one of the best decisions I have ever made.

My advice to people interviewing here:

• Do not focus on title or what your position will be. They are looking for people who can problem-solve and with little ego.
• You definitely don't need a background in storage. In fact, the whole flash thing makes a background in storage something that may not help you.
• Focus your energy showing you can solve challenges. Even if you don't get it right, showing that you can dive into a problem, break it down, and figure out approaches is what they are looking for.

All the questions were difficult.