The people I interacted with seemed nice and professional.

I sadly had to withdraw from the process due to HackerRank being used in the screening.

For potential candidates, the use of HackerRank may be a red flag regarding culture, diversity, and equality issues.

Unlike LeetCode or similar software, HackerRank is prejudicial, claiming engineers can only be as good as their mathematical level. I believe engineers are as good as their products, working relationships, achievements, innovation, designs, solutions, and values. A team benefits from different backgrounds, different levels of skill, and strength.

Many of us in the industry feel it is biased/unethical software for interview processes and strongly disagree with its use in the hiring process (including some of HackerRank's own employees).

It fails to meet the standard of similar and competing software in terms of technical testing and problem-solving, and as a learning tool. Their product is of very low standard on many levels and crashes frequently, so ironically, the product's failings contradict their whole argument about mathematicians making great engineers.

It does, however, serve a clear and single purpose of excluding candidates from different backgrounds and/or disabilities, which I suspect is where it gained its support. Therefore, I feel the responsible choice is to decline to use it, which unfortunately withdrew me as a candidate for this company.

I thanked them for their time and explained I wasn't comfortable with the use of HackerRank but was open to alternatives. When that was declined, I decided to err on the side of caution, suspecting it indicated a cultural issue in that area, and not to proceed further.

Withdrew on the basis of HackerRank being used in screening – unethical.