The hiring process was exceptionally long, with many individual interviews across the organization. Despite the time and preparation each conversation required, it often felt that the feedback gathered would carry limited weight. Final decisions appeared to rest primarily with the CEO, which reduced the perceived value of interviewer input, created uncertainty about how candidates were evaluated, and left me questioning whether the extensive interview loop served learning and alignment or simply fulfilled a procedural checkbox.

I went through a number of interviews over the course of 2-3 months, with a variety of staff. Majority of the conversations were not about role fit, but about culture fit and my entrepreneurial history. It's a nice way to get to know many people in the organization, but a bit tedious answering a number of the same questions.