This happened to me. I interviewed really well—went through 5 rounds (technical + HR) plus a take-home assignment. After nearly 3 months of interviews, I was told to wait again for a final CEO meeting that never happened. Eventually, I got a rejection email saying they chose someone else. I asked for reconsideration and feedback—got nothing. Disappointed after investing so much time and energy. Absolutely unprofessional, unethical to waste someones time for 3 months and then lie at the end saying we are busy we'll get back and at the end rejecting :(
This raises questions on the technical ability of the evaluation team and their trust on each other. So thankfully, it was better that I was not hired to be tossed around in teams for approvals and what not.
So be cautious with long interview processes and technical evaluations. Always clarify expectations up front. If you must do a take-home task, only share a basic version or a walkthrough video—never full source files. You won’t be paid for your time or effort, and it's easy to get taken advantage of. Watch out for these red flags.
And the financial and mental toll I've been through during this is unimaginable.