The interview process included a take-home assignment that amounted to building a complete, end-to-end solution for an active company project, utilizing their proprietary data. Requiring a minimum of 50 hours of effort from an experienced engineer, this was no simple skills test. While I completed and 'nailed' the submission, it was fundamentally a form of unpaid consulting. This practice is a significant red flag. If a company avoids live technical discussion in favor of demanding multi-day projects, it often signals an exploitation. I would advise other qualified candidates to firmly decline the request and look elsewhere.