Interview Games Fail

Shaan Puri shares his experience with a failed job interview at Stripe, highlighting how traditional interview tactics like "sell me this" exercises can be problematic and less effective than examining someone's actual work history and capabilities.

• Failed Interview Experience at Stripe:

  • Early career interview (~2012) when Stripe was only 30 employees
  • Could have potentially made $10-20M if hired and stayed

• The Interview Challenge:

  • Interviewer posed a "sell me this software" scenario
  • Claimed it wasn't a "sell me this pen" exercise, but essentially was
  • Asked candidate to pick any software to sell

• Why It Failed:

  • First job interview ever for Shaan
  • Chose software (Basecamp) he didn't actually use
  • Got stuck when trying to explain something he wasn't familiar with
  • Became "pot committed" to the choice rather than admitting lack of knowledge

• Interview Format Problems:

  • Forces artificial scenarios instead of discussing real experience
  • Creates pressure to pretend knowledge rather than show authentic capabilities
  • Doesn't effectively evaluate actual skills or potential

• Better Alternatives (implied):

  • Look at candidate's actual work history
  • Discuss real experiences and achievements
  • Focus on authentic demonstrations of capability

The experience suggests that traditional interview tactics like "sell me this" exercises can lead to artificial interactions that don't effectively evaluate candidates' true potential or capabilities.