Met with recruiter. We discussed software engineer role, team structure, general responsibilities, background experience, current projects, hiring process, interview stages, timeline, company culture, and expectations for the position. It wasn't hard but wasn't the right fit.

The interview process was standard for this type of role: recruiter screen, hiring manager, followed by a loop. I was not impressed with the hiring manager. Beyond spending 10 mins discussing a technical challenge/project I've worked on, he didn't ask any follow-ups or additional questions on my experience. Additionally he was late and yawning throughout the interview. We spent the majority of the 1 hour call going over a random quadratic formula question in Google Docs. I failed to preemptively include some error handling, which likely was his deciding factor in passing on me. Very odd criteria for selecting a Sr. SWE (backend) focusing on data orchestration and API integrations. Would not recommend.

Recruiter interview followed by hiring manager (technical + behavioral), a coding interview, architecture interview, panel interview with product and design, then a bar-raiser style interview with a VP of engineering. My prospective manager was a new hire who hadn't officially started yet but I still got to meet which was nice. The technical interview format was clearly explained and was very practical, close to daily work. Each interviewer left time for my questions and they were all highly engaged and clearly enjoyed what they did. Overall I had a very positive experience.