Source: I work at Automattic

It's still a commitment to be sure, but we try really hard to make it as accessible as we can.

I wouldn't work 40 hours spread over 2-8 weeks. It's just too much effort for too little reward. If it were paid at contractor rates then I might – I have done a small amount of contracting in my free time – but we're talking $100+ an hour (and I don't live in the bay area).

I understand the value to the company of a trial, and if I were unemployed I think it would be a great way for me to trial a company, and I'd be totally up for it, but fitting this around an existing job, let alone a family, child, being a carer, or just having an active social life, seems so much more effort than any other tech interview process I've seen.

If Automattic paid 2-3x more than others, then maybe it would be worth it for that chance, but that's not something I see advertised so I assume that's not the case.

Seeing this as part of the process I would be seriously concerned about the sorts of people I would end up working with, as I imagine it selecting for a very non-diverse set of developers who struggle to find jobs elsewhere.

That said, if this is not how things end up, I'd be keen to read a "deep dive" sort of thing on these topics, why the extensive trial works, etc. A full rebuttal to this would be a fascinating read.

One question: is the 40 hours of work something that your company would like to use, that may go into production at Automattic? Or is it just some toy project to work on over that time?

source: I work on hiring at Automattic.

You wouldn’t. If you’re interested in the job and Automattic are interested in you, you can do a trial. Because it’s a non-trivial time investment, they offer a small compensation.

If Google flies you in for a full day interview, do they pay you a full day’s salary? Or, any salary at all? They don’t.

The biggest risk for me is lowering my full time hours, and that can limit my ability to try/find new opportunities.

Being able to work on the weekends would be awesome - it wouldn't interfere with my normal work and if be making some extra money.

For context - I'm a 20 year old programmer without a degree, I'm sure those with families would find it more challenging to fit the 10 hours in.

I know this because I've applied to Automattic before and got that far. :-D

People don't do these trials for the money. We do it because the payoff is getting a great job, and we want to know what the company is like to gauge if it would be a good fit for us and if it indeed is a great job.

I work at Automattic and the hourly rate was not at all a consideration for me when I did my trial. I understand it may be different for others, though!

You wouldn't get the best or keep the best but the game is getting more people on the training track so you can call them when new work is available.