The technical problems themselves are not overly difficult and like tech style (system design and coding), but the process is exhausting and lacks engagement. Interviewers appeared uninspired and disengaged - essentially acting as silent proctors for a live OA rather than technical peers. There was zero collaborative energy or meaningful interaction. Pros - Interesting technical niche in quantitative trading. - Some smart individual contributors in the loop. Cons - Toxic Management & Internal Chaos: During the process, multiple interviewers explicitly mentioned that the firm is in a state of constant, messy re-org. The leadership, specifically the Head of Engineering, comes across as incredibly out of touch. Instead of pragmatic technical leadership, you are met with "big talk" and a condescending attitude that is rare even in the most aggressive quant firms. - Disrespectful Reference Checks: This is a major red flag. They require at least three references and proceed to "interrogate" them with an aggressive, pushy tone. My references - senior industry professionals - reported feeling extremely uncomfortable and disrespected. Using a candidate’s professional network as a tool for intimidation is a massive breach of professionalism. - The Compensation "Bait-and-Switch": This is where the "Professional gaslight" begins. - Step 1: HR sets a high verbal range to keep you in the process. - Step 2: After securing your interest and references, they go silent for a week, then return with a "revised" range that is $100k lower than the initial discussion, gaslighting you by denying the previous numbers ever existed. - Step 3: The final verbal offer was lower than my current Big Tech salary. - The Gaslight Mindset: When you push back, they deploy "leadership" (RJ) to spend 30 minutes gaslighting you, implying that you should feel "privileged" to join the firm despite the pay cut. They act as if they are doing you a favor by offering a sub-market package.

Had a call with a recruiter who didn't seem to know much about the role, he didn't even know what asset class or markets were being traded by the desk. After this there was a technical screen. Even though this was an execution role, the interviewer didn't know C++ and had only been with the firm for something like 2 months. Needless to say, he also didn't know anything about the desk or markets being traded. He talked the *whole* time I was trying to program even though he didn't understand the language syntax or operators and constantly interrupted to give terrible suggestions and confusing instructions. He just would not shut up. Easily the worst interview experience I've ever had and a waste of time. Why even give a technical screen if the interviewer works in a completely different domain? What use is it?