Got a call from Zepto HR Asked my expected base, I said 40 She said max we can give is 38 At this point I had interviews going on, so I was like okay sure Then she said, "You’ll have to come to the office every day, and only if it’s some emergency and you have to go home, then you can do WFH" I was like okay that’s weird, but anyways Then I asked, "If I get an offer from somewhere else, because I already have some interviews going on, would you match it?" She was like, "NO. If you are joining Zepto, then it’s not for money but for learning". I get the whole "learning over money" thing - but expecting that after lowballing the comp and forcing daily office just doesn’t add up. I’d heard stories about Zepto’s work culture, now I understand where they came from. Didn't appear for the interview process because I had gotten a better offer and didn' wanted to work in such an envrionemnt.

Prediction: a year from now, US computer science departments will find their enrollment at 50% of what they have been the past few years. I'm willing to bet a peppercorn on it for someone who really wants to hold me to it. (-: