Depop Data Engineer interview questions

The recruiting team talks a lot about "collaboration" and "thinking out loud." The actual interview is the complete opposite. My System Design session was a silent interrogation. The interviewer barely spoke and refused to engage in any real discussion. They just sat there taking notes, waiting for me to match a rigid script. The feedback proved exactly what is wrong with this culture. They admitted that I solved the complex architectural challenges perfectly. However, they rejected me because my specific choices on small operational details didn't match the interviewer's personal preference. This is what happens when you let mid-level engineers interview Senior talent without proper training. They mistake their own subjective preferences for technical facts. They don't know how to evaluate a nuanced trade-off, so they just reject anyone who doesn't give the exact "safe" answer on their checklist. If you are a Senior Engineer who expects an intelligent conversation, look elsewhere. You will not be judged on your ability to solve problems. You will be judged on how well you can guess the hidden checklist of a silent interviewer.