Airtable Software Engineer interview: spreadsheet-style workflow screen

My first real step was a recruiter and phone screen combination. The recruiter was responsive and easy to follow, and the phone interview itself felt conversational. The follow-up questions seemed intended to understand how I thought rather than check whether I could recite a familiar pattern.

The topic involved an Airtable spreadsheet-style feature. The recruiter had warned me that it wouldn't be LeetCode in the usual sense and would be closer to a real workflow problem.

I only got so far. In one path, I passed the screen but didn't move on because of how the role fit looked from their side. In another, the timeline felt rushed, and I was told I wasn't moving forward right before the next round.

The process felt uneven depending on how far I got, but the screening interview consistently focused on product-specific thinking. I didn't get an offer, and I was struck by how much early fit and scheduling decisions shaped the outcome, regardless of how well I answered.

Location: San Francisco, CA. Overall feedback: Positive. Offer status: No offer.