The interview process was very positive and professional. The interviewers were friendly and asked thoughtful technical and behavioral questions. Each stage felt well-organized, and communication was clear throughout. Overall, it was a great experience.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Can you walk us through a complex system you designed, explaining the trade-offs you made between scalability, performance, and maintainability?
I applied through other source. I interviewed at Twelve Labs
Interview
The Interview Process Is a Mirror of the Company
If you want to know what working somewhere is like, look at how they hire. TwelveLabs told me everything I needed to know before I ever got an offer.
Disorganized from start to finish. No clear direction, no respect for candidates' time, and a feedback process that felt more like a social experiment than a professional interaction.
The rejection itself was a masterclass in awkward, structured in a way that somehow made the candidate do the emotional labor for the recruiter. Points for creativity, I guess.
The technical bar seemed less about actual engineering ability and more about whether you'd drunk their specific Kool-Aid already. Spoiler: most strong engineers haven't, because they've been busy doing real work elsewhere.
Feedback was given as great way to say nothing while sounding like they said something.
Pros: Interesting problem space in AI/video.
Cons: Disorganized process, vague feedback, and a self-importance that the product hasn't quite earned yet. Keep it moving.