I applied through other source. I interviewed at Twelve Labs
Interview
The Interview Process Is a Mirror of the Company
If you want to know what working somewhere is like, look at how they hire. TwelveLabs told me everything I needed to know before I ever got an offer.
Disorganized from start to finish. No clear direction, no respect for candidates' time, and a feedback process that felt more like a social experiment than a professional interaction.
The rejection itself was a masterclass in awkward, structured in a way that somehow made the candidate do the emotional labor for the recruiter. Points for creativity, I guess.
The technical bar seemed less about actual engineering ability and more about whether you'd drunk their specific Kool-Aid already. Spoiler: most strong engineers haven't, because they've been busy doing real work elsewhere.
Feedback was given as great way to say nothing while sounding like they said something.
Pros: Interesting problem space in AI/video.
Cons: Disorganized process, vague feedback, and a self-importance that the product hasn't quite earned yet. Keep it moving.
I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Twelve Labs in Jan 2026
Interview
Don't waste your time.
Turned them down after I felt they were selling a poor product and mislabeling things. I dropped them and then weeks later they begged me to keep going.
Asked me work build a demo for them over Christmas and new years, where I built a fully functioning website (way above just nailing the key requirements).
Interviewers had no clue where they wanted to go with things -- no structure at all. Had a great time demoing, was told "this looks great", just to get told a full week later sorry we are not considering you anymore. lol.
Just blatantly inconsiderate -- don't beg people to keep going and ask them to do work for you over the holidays.
The interview process was very positive and professional. The interviewers were friendly and asked thoughtful technical and behavioral questions. Each stage felt well-organized, and communication was clear throughout. Overall, it was a great experience.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Can you walk us through a complex system you designed, explaining the trade-offs you made between scalability, performance, and maintainability?
