Recruiter Screen: This was done over a zoom call, which I found strange since majority (if not all) recruiter screens are done by via phone call. The recruiter in particular seemed disengaged and didn't seem as if she wanted to get to know me, but more so wanting the call to be over with since it only lasted less than 15 minutes. Although, I'll give her kudos for providing the questions the HM would be asking in the next round.
HM round: He showed up on time and was super personable and genuinely took the time to understand my experience and skillset and how it relates to the role. Within a day, I got an automated email requesting to schedule the final rounds of interviews. I ended up scheduling the interviews a week out, and reached out to the recruiter regarding details around the focus areas for both. She vaguely provided them, then proceeded to ask if I can interview sooner. This was a red flag since it seemed as if she didn't care to think that maybe the reason may have been that I needed more time to prepare (which wasn't the case), but it still rubbed me the wrong way overall since it seemed as if they were rushing the interview process since they probably had another candidate in mind.
Final panel round (2 interviewers): Two directors from cross-functional teams -
Business Systems: WOW, this was the worst interview I've ever had. The director was almost a no show until I emailed the recruiter, and he miraculously showed up at the 10-minute mark. He apologized, and offered to either 1. continue to do it at that moment or 2. reschedule. I had my second interview right after which left no time since he was late, so we agreed to meet after my second panel interview. As I was waiting for my second panel interviewer to show up, THIS same guy shows up. I had a puzzled expression on my face and proceeded to say, "Didn't we agree to meet at X time?" And he stated "Yes, you are correct. I will see you then". At this point, it was a complete joke and knew this process was just a formality. When he finally showed up at the correct time, he never even turned on his video, and let me know that he would not be turning it on and that I could turn mine off. I was speechless but proceeded to turn mine off because I just wanted this to be over with. He proceeded to ask his questions and after each of my answers, his responses were "Ok, very cool." LOL. I would not have shown up to the second panel interview if I had interviewed with this guy first. What a waste of time. He was clearly on something or just didn't give a crap.
Business Operations: I had a great experience with this director. Same as the HM, he genuinely took the time to get to know my experience and ask quality questions that would gauge how well my experience fit into the role. After each of my responses, he provided thoughtfully curated feedback that let me know he was listening.
I got an automated rejection email 2 days later. Overall, I truly believe that Rippling just interviews a bunch of candidates with the intentions of not hiring them, likely to fulfill their DEI requirements. I went through with the interview process with low expectations and with intentions of just gaining some interview experience (since it seems as if they operate similar to a sweatshop, based off feedback from current Rippling employees I know), but now can confirm that these negative reviews are authentic and are reflective of how the company operates as whole.