I’ve been through hundreds of interviews throughout my career, and this is the first one I felt compelled to review. Pros - Recruiter was responsive and professional throughout. I genuinely appreciated the time she took to prepare me for the onsite. - Hiring manager was collaborative and left a very positive impression. Cons - The interview with an Architect/Principal engineer was unprofessional and disappointing. I had been told this round would be a technical conversation, but it instead became a classic system design round. - The interviewer frequently shook his head “no” as I was speaking, creating a dismissive atmosphere. - When I paused briefly to think and shared my thought process out loud, he interrupted with a “Just think!” comment that came across as abrupt and condescending. - He showed visible frustration when my reasoning didn’t align with his expectations, rather than engaging in a collaborative discussion. - The interview was cut short by about 15 minutes, despite my offering to dive deeper into specific areas. - It is concerning for an Architect-level engineer to display this kind of behavior. At that level, you expect leadership, patience, and culture-setting. What I experienced was the opposite: a lack of mutual respect and a poor representation of Okta’s culture. Final Line - Calibrate interviewers with recruiters so interviewers do not deviate from the planned expectations. - Train senior interviewers to evaluate reasoning and tradeoffs, rather than engaging in “gotcha” behaviour or express visible frustration when answers differ. - Above all, emphasize mutual respect. An Architect/Principal engineer represents your culture. If they cannot lead with professionalism, it damages Okta’s brand and hiring effectiveness. Even with impressive titles on paper (ex-Microsoft and Splunk Principal), the leadership maturity was lacking. At these levels, technical skill is assumed, but what matters most is respect, collaboration, and culture-setting. At Architect level, titles and pedigree mean little without leadership. During my onsite, I chose to withdraw from the process and canceled the remaining interviews.