Apple Software Engineer interview: technical depth and uncomfortable tone

The overall cycle was technically heavy and thorough. I had multiple rounds with mostly professional, fair questions about heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics. I was expected to show understanding even when the questions became specific.

Two rounds felt different. Those interviewers kept adding follow-ups until they found something I could not answer, and some questions required detailed Apple product-design knowledge. For me, that shifted the feeling from assessing competence toward creating discomfort and testing stress tolerance.

Separately, another interview felt demoralizing. In a conversation about fit, I felt my background was undermined and the discussion repeatedly returned to education rather than the work I described. Even when I discussed lab-equipment experience, I felt interrupted and pushed toward a narrow idea of passion.

I did not get an offer. What stayed with me was that culture and the way interviewers treated candidates mattered as much as the technical material.

Location: United States. Overall feedback: negative. Offer status: no offer.