Eight Rounds. Thirty People. One 'Mistake.'

A job seeker applied for a role listed at $110,000 to $150,000. What followed was an eight-stage gauntlet over several weeks: a substantial take-home project, multiple ninety-minute group interviews, hours of prep per stage, and conversations with approximately thirty different people across the organisation. Around the fourth interview, the company started calling each stage the "final round" -- then kept adding more. The hiring decision was postponed repeatedly. When the candidate finally cleared all eight rounds, the recruiter called with news: the salary range had been "a mistake." The real ceiling was $90,000. "This number is a joke for my level of experience," the candidate replied. They walked. The role had been open for over eight months, suggesting the "mistake" was a feature, not a bug. Commenters on r/jobhunting suspected the take-home project -- a full proposal and market analysis -- was the real prize. The candidate had just delivered free consulting to thirty stakeholders who never intended to pay the posted rate.