Initial call with HR, followed by a 45-minute video call with the director. The director was very professional and I thought I might have finally found a good place to work. Next, he wanted me to talk to another director. He was a lot less professional and didn't have a lot to say. He did say he wanted me to do a take-home coding challenge, which was fine. This was supposed to be the last step and then they would give their decision. The challenge was basically rebuilding the system I would be working on there. I felt it was way over the top for a coding challenge but I completed it in 9-10 hours, working on my own time for free. A few days later the internal recruiter said we would have more calls, one with another director, one with a senior VP, and finally the VP of HR. Then they would give their decision. I started to realize that they have problems making decisions at this point. The next day I got a cryptic email from HR saying that scheduling had been "halted" and she was going out of the office but would send details when she got back. Unsure what this meant, I emailed again asking if that meant it would be rescheduled sometime later and got no answer. A week passed and I emailed her again and copied the original director on it. A few days later I got a reply and she said that the team really liked me but had decided to "hold for right now and would let me know if that changed". Yet another unclear email from her so I replied asking if that was a rejection or if the position was on hold or there was a hiring freeze. No reply. I've been doing this work for a very long time and this was, by far, the most unprofessional experience I've had during an interview. The fact that they couldn't just give a straight answer bothers me. Not to mention that they didn't have any respect for my time and effort. I also wasn't thanked or compensated for the 9-10 hours I spent working on their crazy coding challenge. Avoid these people.