Optoro Software Engineer interview questions

HR screen screen followed by a coding challenge with a few engineers then Skype with a Senior Developer. Each step went pretty well, not amazing, but I got positive feedback at the end of each round. Overall, the interview process was pleasant. However, the recruiter strung me along for months. I would get a personalized 'so sorry for the delay' email from the recruiter about once every 2 weeks until I eventually got an automated rejection. After the second apology email I realized it probably wasn't going to work out, but it was frustrating to be strung along like that. They had clearly made their decision and I felt like the recruiter was delaying the denial to keep me as a backup option. If I been rejected a week after my last interview, I would have no complaints. Again, the interview process was fine, but delaying months to communicate a final decision left me with a bad impression.

The interview process was strangely long, and came off a bit desperate to fill the position. First a basic phone screen over google hangouts to talk through my resume. Afterwards I was given a take home problem to solve and submit. After passing this, they invited me to their HQ office to do three interviews: first with a couple engineers discussing technical problems, second with the engineering leads/director discussing processes, and lastly with a PM. A third round had me back at the office to meet with the cofounder, which was a very laid-back discussion. Later was more google hangout rounds with random positions throughout the company, possibly to demonstrate their startup culture and convince me to join. Everyone I spoke with sounded like strong potential colleagues and was proud of their work and team. In the end, I accepted an offer from another startup in the area for a few reasons: 1) Senior positions had closed off offices, which gave off weak culture vibes. An us-versus-them feel I've seen at countless other companies, but never at a startup. 2) Due to the size of the company, it seems much time is spent in meetings and going through formal processes. 3) The product, while very interesting, is likely having a rough time in the current tech market. 4) Given this startup has been around awhile, there was a real lack of buzz and almost a sense of complacency that an IPO is around the corner... which also meant little equity.