The process started with a recruiter screen and moved on to a two-part screening interview.

The first part was coding. It wasn't LeetCode, at least not one I'd solved before, but it was similar to an LC medium and was relatively easy to work through with good interaction from the interviewer. This was a pass and a good experience.

The second interview was system design. Based on two separate examples, I've learned that system design interviewers at Snowflake are highly opinionated and present specialized questions for which they believe there is only one correct answer.

At most other companies, interviews involve a dialogue where the interviewer seeks good requirements gathering, reasonable choices based on the given information, and a sound consideration of trade-offs for performance, availability, and generalized designs. At Snowflake, they use very narrow, specific problems and are looking for you to give them exactly what they want to hear. They seem to want you to fail.

After two experiences with their process, I wouldn't interview there again. It wasn't a good use of my time, and the preparation isn't really reusable for other companies.

Unless you really, really like databases, know a lot about them, and want to work for a database-centric company, your time would be better spent pursuing opportunities at other MANGA companies or the broader collection of tier-1/tier-2 tech companies. At least there, you'll get a more standard approach with a higher probability of success.