Spotify has many job openings online. Due to the pandemic, I decided to apply even though it wasn't my first choice. I am experienced in my field. I was contacted by HR within 1-2 weeks, and we scheduled an interview over Google Meet.

Everything went well, and I proceeded to the next online interview. Here, I had to solve a relatively easy algorithmic problem using an online IDE with basic editing capabilities. The people I met were reasonable but not particularly friendly. I managed to provide multiple solutions and working implementations for the problem, so they moved me to the final stage.

In the final stage, things became very messy. I had to participate in a 5-hour meeting with over 10 people. The interviews felt predatory, and at least half of the interviewers had very little experience conducting interviews. Some were sarcastic or arrogant. This stage included 5 interviews: an informal chat, two live coding sessions (algorithms and IDE), a system design interview, and a values interview.

At least two interviews were very strange. The values interview was not a conversation. For the entire duration, I had to prove I wasn't a "jerk." Some questions were also inappropriate, such as: “Did I have a revelation under the shower and provide a completely new solution to a problem?” I'm unsure if they were trying to identify a genius.

The system design interview was also peculiar. I had to use an online whiteboard lacking system design capabilities (no ER diagrams, UML, or even basic flowcharts). The design request was vague, and I had to conduct the interview myself. I had to guess the requirements (and struggle with the tool) as the interviewers barely spoke. One person simply introduced himself and remained almost silent throughout.

After this experience, I had very mixed feelings about the interview process and the people I met.

A week later, I had another call with HR, who informed me that I performed exceptionally well in all interviews, with only one minor exception where it was noted that I didn't communicate enough. However, due to the pandemic, they didn't have enough growth opportunities to make me an offer at that time.

Following this experience, I was able to draw a few conclusions:

• The company appears very large considering its niche and limited product availability. This results in entire teams focusing on very small areas (like a screen, a webpage, or some tooling).
• They have some experienced developers, but the majority have limited relevant experience outside Spotify. They were hired as junior/mid-level, so their knowledge is confined to Spotify. Therefore, you shouldn't rely too heavily on positive company reviews found online.
• A recurring negative theme, when asking people about their challenges, was the organizational structure. It makes finding the responsible person or team for a feature extremely difficult. Additionally, teams work in different ways: some use Scrum, while others have no structure, making alignment very challenging.
• If you are a junior or mid-level developer, working at Spotify can offer a good opportunity to gain exposure to a larger system and organization. However, don't expect job variety or significant career advancement. Consider it temporary technical experience.
• If you are a senior developer, you should consider opportunities elsewhere. It can take years to develop and grow an idea. The company still operates at a significant loss, and its future is uncertain unless they find better monetization strategies. Apple and Amazon are growing much faster in this business with better profits and more variety.

Did I have a revelation under the shower and provide a completely new solution to a problem?