They had me create a pitch deck for the initial screening, then invited me onsite for an interview. The interview process was chaotic—the boss literally pondered out loud whether they should hire me ("Should I hire you...? Hmm"). Then, they mentioned they had exhausted their budget for the role and asked if I would accept a lower salary than I had expected. I was open to it, but why bother interviewing and making an offer if there's no budget?