I spent over 25 hours preparing a detailed case study for Ceribell’s final interview, only to walk in and realize I was doing their expansion strategy work for them — unpaid. This was for a potential future business line, and none of that was made clear upfront. The team offered no clarity, no structure, and treated my time as disposable. During the interview, one panelist had their eyes closed when I looked over during my presentation. In the 1:1 with the same person, they didn’t make eye contact once and spent the ENTIRE time doodling on a paper plate. No one came prepared with questions, and I had to prompt every conversation just to keep things moving. The experience was unprofessional, dismissive, and entirely aligned with the negative reviews I had hoped were exaggerations. They weren’t. An interview is a two-way street. If you're applying — especially for strategy or product-facing roles — ask direct questions about expectations and whether the work they’re asking from you is actually for a job, or just free labor.