The recruiter I interacted with (Marissa) was excellent, prompt, professional, and clear in communication. She moved the process along quickly and was a pleasure to work with. I withdrew from the process after being asked to complete an unpaid design exercise that included solving two of the company’s real product challenges, with mockups and strategic thinking, followed by an in-person presentation. This was for a Product Design Lead role, yet the scope, framing, and tone of the assignment made it clear that design was seen more as an executional function than a strategic partner. The conversation with the hiring manager also reinforced a limited understanding of what design leadership entails. It felt like they were fishing for free UX strategy rather than evaluating a senior candidate based on past work and leadership ability.