I work at a recently IPO'ed unicorn that is doing extremely well and can confirm that in the early days (sub 100 employees when I started) we were more concerned with people who could ship software/solve real problems and had data/experience to confirm this. Now that we are public and growing, it's all leet code style questions to get hired, and I can say first hand that the velocity of development, as well as innovation has dropped off a cliff.
It's to the point that I've stated to leadership that I would fail the interview for the job I've been a top performer in for the past 5 years as the interview format doesn't actually focus on real world skills, but memorising algos.
We've essentially imported this culture into what was once, one of the most dynamic companies I had ever seen. It's awful and I can't wait to leave. Most of the older timers are already going for similar reasons.
More of a rant then a comment I guess, but I just really related to your experience.
In my case, it has never been about the money. It has always been about the joy of development, and, in some cases, a desire to be a part of an elite team.
When I started looking, I would have been absolutely ideal for early-stage startups. I was willing to work for a ludicrously low wage and take risks (I had my retirement set, so I just needed to keep the lights on, and medical insurance), had (still have) an enormous breadth of experience, along with some really lucrative specialized skills. I had years of experience, selling complex projects to very skeptical managers (Japanese, so a tough room. Make American VCs look like friendly puppies). I have actually shipped completed, supported software, since my very first project (I can prove it, I still have the manual[0]). I had a lot of extra time on my hands, was willing to put in long hours, and I also had this massive portfolio[1] of finished work, writings, code, and years of commit history, for anyone that wanted to see. It was plainly obvious what I had to bring to the table; good and bad. I am an open book. Really easy to find out, if you know how to click a mouse button.
Even early-stage startups were obsessed with "cultural fit" (which I didn't have), and don't get me started on the recruiters. They were the worst. The insults and power games were ridiculous (and highly unprofessional). I realized that, even if I got hired, they would treat me very badly.
This tech industry has changed a lot. I had been at my previous gig for 27 years straight. It was one of the biggest brands in the world, synonymous with Quality, and I was on a peer basis with some of the finest engineers and scientists in the world. I was often the dumbest person in the room, and I'm smarter than the average bear. In fact, that was a big reason for my staying so long. I think that it is important to be in an environment where I'm challenged (one of the reasons I hang out here).
Didn't mean a thing. In fact, it seemed to be something that actually elicited scorn.
[0] https://littlegreenviper.com/TF30194/TF30194-Manual-1987.pdf
https://www.reddit.com/r/cscareerquestions/comments/pzofk7/t...
Also, many companies on the lower end don’t provide equity, so you are essentially just rented on a two week basis.
Kind of hard to fake.
That’s one reason that I was so blindsided by what I encountered, when I was looking for work, a few years ago.
I had an enormous library of finished, high-quality, polished, complete work, already in the public venue; but people were only interested in small, impractical, competitive exercises.
It didn’t take me long to realize that it was more important to consider people who “played the game,” than it was, those that could provably deliver product.
So I stopped looking, and went to work with some folks that couldn’t afford to pay me, but were interested in actually delivering software.