The interview process felt unnecessarily long and over-engineered for a senior-level position. It consisted of multiple stages, including an initial hiring manager screen with a coding problem, followed by an additional coding round, two separate system design interviews, and a cultural/behavioral round. While I understand the need to evaluate candidates thoroughly, the level of repetition across rounds did not seem to add meaningful signal. It raises the question of whether candidate fit could be assessed more efficiently earlier in the process. From a candidate experience perspective, the time investment required is quite high. A more streamlined process or clearer differentiation between rounds would go a long way in improving this. Additionally, messaging that suggests candidates may need to apply multiple times to succeed may unintentionally signal a lack of calibration in the hiring process rather than a high bar. Overall, while the team may be aiming for thoroughness, the process could benefit from being more focused, time-conscious, and candidate-friendly.