Applied and got an instant automated response inviting me to a 90-minute proctored coding test. Camera on, full screen recorded. No phone screen, no conversation about the role, team, compensation, and no opportunity for the candidate to ask questions and see if this is the right fit for them.
The test bans AI tools (despite Speechify literally being an AI company that clearly uses AI to automate their recruitment), bans looking up problem solving approaches online, and leaves "reviewer discretion" to judge if your internet usage crossed their arbitrary line. This is a fundamental misunderstanding of how engineers work and indicates some pretty shocking engineering culture.
When I withdrew and explained that a 15-minute call would be more efficient for everyone, they sent back a defensive response justifying why they need to record candidates and monitor their screens to ensure "fairness and authenticity."
If you don't trust candidates enough to have a conversation before subjecting them to 90 minutes of surveillance, your hiring is fundamentally broken. Companies that treat candidates like potential cheaters from the first interaction aren't worth your time.
I interviewed at Speechify (Cairo, Cairo Governorate)
Interview
Weird and invading my privacy, was good in general but not smooth and didn’t feel good while doing it, they should respect candidates privacy, it’s very disrespectful interview , first project was screen recorded all the time even when entering my git password
I applied online. I interviewed at Speechify in May 2026
Interview
I applied for the job and received an automated email one minute later with a technical challenge using AI.
They provided a large repository for download and asked me to keep my webcam and screen recording active for 90 minutes (probably for training AI models).
They didn't provide any tools. You had to use your own tokens for the tests for 90 minutes without knowing if anyone was going to see them. Basically, that's what happened to everyone who left a review here.
I understand and like pair programming with AI, but doing it this way is impersonal, probably the worst way, and zero privacy-oriented. You never get feedback. It's one of the worst things I've seen this year.
Applied online on WTJ. Not 5 minutes after submitting your application *on a Sunday*, you receive an email that informs you that you made it ro the first round! Which is an automated cosing assessment. No human in the loop. No review of your application. They just want to give 90 minutes that you can't claim back without prior even checking that your expectations really mat h the role. "If all goes well, you'll talk with our CTO", they say. Two red flags: what is he measure of success? Why is the CTO involved at all? Looks to me like a bottlenecked process thatsjust a reflection of how they operate. Not a company I want to work with (not even for).
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Take a bkind coding assessment with your cam and mic onao that we can spy on you.
