Zoox Software Engineer interview: a written assignment and unclear evaluation

The interview loop felt long and demanding. After a recruiter contacted me, I spoke with several hiring managers and moved into more technical work. The biggest commitment was an extensive assignment with a detailed written report and, if selected, a presentation to a panel. I felt the workload was disproportionate, especially when I couldn't see clearly how the work would be assessed.

After finishing the assignment and preparing the presentation, I received a generic rejection with little useful feedback. The recruiter and hiring managers had been professional and supportive. The panel discussions, though, left me uneasy: some didn't seem well grounded in the specialized technical area I was being assessed on. That made the evaluation feel unfair to me. The number of demanding steps also made the process difficult to get through.

I didn't receive an offer. What stayed with me was the amount of unpaid effort expected when the evaluation itself remained so unclear.

Location: Foster City, CA. Overall feedback: negative. Offer status: no offer.