There was a moment in the interview that really stuck with me — not because it was technical, but because of what it revealed about the whole process. At one point, I was asked: "Have you heard of magic methods?" And for some reason — nerves, pressure, the atmosphere — I blanked and said "no." It was a stupid answer, I knew that. I use magic methods all the time — __construct, __get, __set — they’re second nature. But in that moment, my brain just froze. A few seconds later, as he moved on to the next question, it came back to me and I laughed, saying something like, "Ah, of course I know them, sorry, I use them every day." Just trying to be human about it, shake off the nerves. But he wasn’t having it. He looked visibly annoyed, like I had wasted his time. He didn’t even acknowledge the correction — just kept reading the next question like nothing had happened. It felt cold, dismissive. Like the entire interview had turned into a test I’d already failed. That moment summed it all up for me. There was no space to be human, to think aloud, to recover. No curiosity, no collaboration — just gatekeeping. I realized then that this wasn’t going to be a place where developers are trusted for their experience. It was about memory tests and theory — not problem-solving, not building, not working as a team. I mentally checked out after that. Not because I couldn’t answer — but because I no longer wanted to.