Paid test assignments and a timeline you can set a watch to.

A Reddit user described an interview process with a US startup that felt almost alien in 2025. It began with a short introductory call — no gauntlet of screening rounds. Next came two test assignments, both compensated. Then a single one-on-one interview and a group discussion. Every step had a communicated deadline, and every deadline was met. The CTO had reached out after noticing the candidate's project at a global hackathon. "Even if they reject me," the candidate wrote, "it'll feel fair, because they valued my effort." The post contrasted this with the "circus" of typical hiring: endless rounds, unpaid homework, and weeks of silence. Thousands on r/developersIndia agreed.