Tropic Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

So first, we do this initial phone screen. If that goes well, then you'll get a take-home code challenge to see what you can do. After that, if you pass the take-home, we'll have you do a technical screen with our engineering folks. And then, if all that looks good, we'll bring you onsite to meet with our leadership team.

I got a message from a recruiter on LinkedIn, which seems common. The initial calls with the recruiter went okay. After that, there was a technical interview with an engineering manager. He asked pretty basic questions, and I felt like I did alright, but he never cracked a smile. He didn't seem thrilled to be interviewing me and made me feel kind of awkward and unsure of myself. It felt like he decided right away I wouldn't fit the company culture, and maybe that's fair. I just wish he'd been a bit more welcoming. A couple of days later, they emailed to say they weren't moving forward with my application, which was actually a relief because I was going to ask to withdraw anyway since I wasn't interested in such an unfriendly place. Like some others have said, they seem to jump to conclusions quickly and aren't very inclusive.

The interview process was genuinely enjoyable, but neurodivergent applicants should be aware. It started with a 15-minute screener who seemed rushed and asked questions that suggested they hadn't reviewed my resume. Next, I met with the CTO, who was very kind and good-natured. Then came an assessment, which was pretty standard for their software stack, with no puzzle-like questions. This was followed by a review with two engineers. Finally, a decision was made. During the screener, I disclosed my neurodivergence, which had never been an issue before and the screener seemed accepting. However, after being told I was a no-hire, despite my technical interview going great and them believing I was a great engineer, I was informed that I should have disclosed my neurodivergence at each interview stage. Typically, this is documented by the screener so the interviewer doesn't have to handle the awkwardness. This was extremely disappointing.