TL;DR: From what I can tell, the reviews above are spot on (particularly re: executive leadership). I have never withdrawn from consideration 30 minutes into a finalist interview. But...there is a first time for everything.
1. Recruiter call- Overall fine, if not a bit disorganized. The recruiter seemed like a kind person and answered all questions. There was a bit of a back and forth on scheduling, She initially said she missed an email from me and reached out again several weeks later.
2. Hiring manager call - also fine...about what you'd expect from a nice enough person with a lot on their plate (not particularly difficult).
3. CEO meeting - Meeting was set for 2 pm. CEO Emailed at 12:50 asking if I could meet an hour earlier. I said yes and rushed...as I thought it could be a test - maybe it was, unsure. If so, very indicative of culture. He was very direct (bordering on rude) which didn't bother me as I wouldn't be his direct report.
4. Finalist "assignment"- Received a lengthy assignment that they called a "Finalist Brief Exercise." It was ChatGPT generated (without so much as the effort to change the font or delete the lines). I created a comprehensive (15 page) brief. At the recruiter's instruction, I sent it to the hiring manager for review 3 days in advance of deadline. Forget feedback....the email was never even acknowledged.
5. Finalist meeting - Hiring manager starts by saying, "hey thanks for your brief, I got it - but didn't read it" (...what?) Overall, it was the strangest interview experience of my life. All I can say is if you enjoy being picked apart for not knowing things that were never shared with you, then this place would be your jam. It was so bizarre and uncomfortable that I simply said, "I do wish I had gotten this feedback when I initially requested it. Perhaps it's my own bias based on your 11% approval rating as a CEO, but I don't think this is going to be a fit. I'm going to go ahead and give you gentlemen 22 minutes of your day back."
Aside from the bizarre experience, the pay was ~30K below market, the culture seems unpleasant (to say the least).
