Spoke with one of their co-founders, then their director of engineering,then a hackerrank challenge , then ceo of the company, if i passed that then onsite in san diego. Never made it to onsite. The first 2 people I met were great. Asked what language I used and if I knew python, tensorflow, and C++ . But the CEO was offensive and horrible. I was going over my resume and I said I did data reporting in my previous job. He then went on the attack and said " So, do you think that's data science?" I said no at the time, but I realize now that reporting and analytics is part of Data Science. It's not just AI and machine learning and complicated modeling techniques. That was just the beginning. He then asks " How good are you as a coder compared to your classmates in college?" Now I think back. Why does that matter ? I passed the coding exam from their engineering manager, why compare me to people he's never even met? That is so unhealthy. He looked dissatisfied with my answers and that was the end of it. Reading the other interview for this company confirms that the CEO is a complete jerk.

A lengthy process that includes: 1) HR screening 2) Hiring manager interview 3) 1-hour live coding session 4) 4-day take-home project 5) 4-hour on-site interview (consisting of 1-hour presentation and three 1:1 interviews) I have no issues with the recruiter and HR contacts I had, as they were professional, responsive, and efficient in scheduling everything. However, I am very disappointed with the interview process. I don’t usually participate when there are so many unnecessary steps, but I gave an exception to Shield AI because I was very interested in the company. After making it all the way through the final step, the only feedback I received was “the team really enjoyed your presentation and felt you would be a good addition to the company, but is looking for someone with more experience.” If my level of experience was the root of their dissatisfaction with me, that could have been determined in the first or second step of the interview process. Seeing as how I made it all the way to the end of the process, I feel that my time dedicated to their process was disrespected, wasted, and taken advantage of. Additionally, it further reinforces the fact that their lengthy process is inefficient. And if, for some reason, that is just generic feedback they provide to everyone, it is not helpful to any candidate.