I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at DOWN Dating & Social Apps (Barcelona) in Feb 2026
Interview
Extremely negative experience. The entire process took about one month and included an HR interview, a technical interview, a test assignment, and a conversation with the CEO.
The earlier stages moved relatively quickly until it came to the CEO call. He first rescheduled the call a couple of hours before it was supposed to start, and then postponed it again. When the call finally happened, he joined from a coffee shop where he was barely audible. Then we switched to Zoom, and during the presentation of my test assignment he kept interrupting and never actually let me finish.
The most striking moment came at the end, when he said they had already hired a designer for the role. Seeing my confusion, he tried to justify it by mentioning a possible part-time opportunity in the future. Later, I learned from HR that they had not hired anyone, which means the CEO simply lied during the interview.
After that, I received a rejection without any explanation. You can draw your own conclusions about such a process. Overall, fairly typical C-level behavior.
I applied online. I interviewed at DOWN Dating & Social Apps in Dec 2025
Interview
- As others have noted, the interview process is prolonged and disorganized.
- The questions posed are akin to standard Rails inquiries; however, they are overly generic and appear to be copied from the internet, failing to accurately reflect the expectations and responsibilities associated with the position.
- The CEO displays a lack of respect for any comments that fall outside his comprehension or expertise. During meetups, it is evident from his facial expressions that he is dismissive and uninterested in the responses provided. Candidates deserve to be treated with respect.
I wasn’t able to pass the HR screening and I missed several technical questions. Even though it was challenging, the process gave me clearer insight into my weak areas, and I’m planning to improve them before applying again.
