Turn.io interview questions

The interview had 2 phases. The first involved a recorded video and the second phase, was a technical test: building a chat service with an API integration. The video recorded chat was fun and gave me the opportunity to practice my answer before sending it to them. The technical challenge interview was kindly conducted and they gave me one week to complete it.

Turn.io’s team seems passionate but operates within a narrow professional circle, which is reflected in their hiring process. After three rounds of interviews—including presenting case studies, meeting with the hiring manager, the team, and finally all three founders—I was asked for references through a Google form that appeared to be a standard reference check. This timing gave the impression the process was nearing finalization, but it wasn’t. Following the reference check, I was asked to confirm my salary expectations, which I kept within the budget they had shared at the outset. Shortly after, the process ended abruptly, making the earlier steps feel arbitrary and unstructured. Communication also felt inconsistent—for example, one email began: "I'm writing this from the airport on the way to a retreat," mixing unrelated personal details with key role information. On LinkedIn, Turn.io has nearly as many former employees (25) as current ones (31)—a striking ratio, even for a startup still working toward Product-Market Fit. While some turnover is expected, this level of churn points to deeper challenges, such as dissatisfaction with leadership, unclear processes, or instability in scaling operations and building a cohesive product. The inconsistencies I experienced during the hiring process reflected these broader patterns, leaving doubts about how effectively the company navigates internal and external challenges.