Shield AI Software Engineer interview experience

The recruiter was blunt about the company expecting regular 50+ hour weeks, framing it as a rule for how they run the startup. I pushed back in the conversation by asking why that was necessary, and the answer was essentially that it’s just how they operate.

I appreciated the transparency, but it didn’t match what I wanted from a job. Even though the tone felt straightforward rather than misleading, I decided to decline after that first conversation.

I didn’t proceed further and didn’t receive an offer. My reflection was that while the honesty was clear, it still immediately made the fit