I had an initial phone screen with a recruiter, followed by a 15-minute coding interview with an engineer. Unfortunately, I experienced technical issues at the start, which significantly reduced the already-short time available to solve the problem.
The question was essentially LC 647, with a small twist. I initially described an optimized approach, but the interviewer seemed dismissive of it and suggested I just use a brute-force solution instead, saying they cared more that it worked than that it was optimized. Given the limited time, I quickly wrote a solution and ran a few tests, but there was still a bug when time was called.
After the interview, I revisited the problem and confirmed that my original optimized approach was valid. The issue in my implementation came down to a small conditional bug. That said, my concern is less about the technical outcome and more about the interviewer's tone and professionalism.
Throughout the short interview, the interviewer made several dismissive comments. At the end, after asking how I felt about my solution, he remarked that it was "more than a simple bug" away from working and said that after conducting "over 400 interviews," he knew I did not meet their bar. The call then ended abruptly.
After working at several top-tech companies, I understand not every interview results in moving forward, However, even when a candidate does not pass, I would expect the process to remain respectful and constructive. Based on my experience, I would be cautious unless you are comfortable with a very direct, abrasive interview style. This likely mirrors their day-to-day and would be a draining place to work.