I applied online. I was on the phone with CTO. We talked for 14 minutes. He talked about how company started and asked me to introduce myself and what kind of project I want to work on. I talked for a couple of minutes. I was not very organized. Then he said what is my recent project. I talked about it. He said "That's interesting. We are moving to the next round." I express appreciation. Next day, I get a rejection email. Takeaway: prepare your elevator pitch, practice it until you couldn't say it wrong. Stay calm and not give away unnecessary information.

After submitting the coding challenge (and crushing it), I was invited to an on-site interview where I met with the team I would work with, the VP of engineering, and the VP of technology. I was asked programming questions that involved algorithms, system design, and databases. They also asked me about projects I worked on, my educational background, and general things that interest me. Everyone was very nice and seemed interested in what I was talking about, so it was actually an enjoyable and low stress experience. Then I took a long walk with the CTO along the beach!