The process had five rounds, starting with a 1-hour LeetCode test, before any intro call or chance to understand if there was mutual interest. That felt impersonal and too early to invest time. All three technical rounds focused on algorithms or live coding, which didn’t reflect real-world work. There was no chance to learn about the team, role, or expectations until very late. Only after several rounds did I learn that: - The team uses PHP, not JavaScript (which is my area of expertise), - Everyone is required to overlap with U.S. time zones, - There’s no asynchronous communication. I applied as a senior JavaScript engineer and wasn’t looking to switch languages, especially in a fast-paced team where I couldn’t contribute at my best. I stopped the process after getting another offer, but honestly, I wouldn’t have accepted this one anyway due to the lack of transparency and overall misalignment.