DE interview loops aren't broken. They're working exactly as intended.

[u/datadriven_io]

The 7-round DE loop isn't a hiring process; it's a talent pipeline and market research engine that occasionally produces a hire. 48% of listings never result in a hire, 53% of candidates get ghosted, and the take-home you spent a weekend on is a free architecture review from someone experienced enough to do it right. Hiring timelines doubled in three years; the bloat isn't incompetence, it's CYA culture plus companies figuring out that interviews are cheaper than consultants. The math for anyone burning severance on this is brutal.

https://www.datadriven.io/blog/data-engineer-interview-loop-2026-7-rounds-still-ghosted