First and second rounds were great. The founder is inspiring and built this service as a passion project from personal experience.
The final interview was a first for me. He joined late and immediately blamed me. I was taken aback—I had been on time, waiting online, and when he arrived 10 minutes late, he told me I had canceled the meeting. I had also been forewarned by the recruiter via text “not to be thrown off by his personality.”
His appearance suggested he had just woken up—his hair was literal bedhead—and he went on to tell me I should stay at my current employer because this company is “brutal” and would “terminate you without notice.” Throughout the conversation, he emphasized the long hours he works—seven days a week, including working past midnight on New Year’s Eve.
I found this confusing, given that the role is intended to support him and lighten his workload. I continued through his critique of my submitted project and his off-putting demeanor.
In hindsight, it’s possible that recent internal instability and sudden terminations/layoffs have led him to focus heavily on maintaining his individual value, which may be creating a bottleneck. It may also explain why he does not list himself as an employee of the company on LinkedIn.
Regardless, I genuinely hope the company is able to overcome the workload and stress that are clearly present. The service itself—and the founder’s original passion—are truly aimed at helping people with their healthcare.