Well, like I said, could just be that my perspective was tainted a bit by not doing as well as I'd have liked.
But I think sometimes these things just happen too. I think I interviewed in 2018, so that'd be 7 years after you did. I'm sure a lot changes in that much time.
A bunch of engineering directors were brought in from external sources a few years back, and that really changed the atmosphere.
Before then, we seemed to try to hire smart engineers and give them independence to solve problems. Those new directors lowered the hiring bars to grow their teams, and the culture got way more rigid and corporate.
But I think sometimes these things just happen too. I think I interviewed in 2018, so that'd be 7 years after you did. I'm sure a lot changes in that much time.