Recommended for the position by a friend. Emailed back and forth a bit with hiring manager, then set up call time. Due to scheduling complications and just long periods of silence in between phone interview didn't happen till two months after initial email. First phone interview with Hiring Manager went great. We hit it off and she was ready to hire me on the spot. But I needed to go through the process. She submitted me for interview process which started with me filling out application. Then second phone interview was set up with...wait for it... her boss's boss. Why? No idea. The lady was an artificial intelligence researcher...I know nothing about AI and shouldn't need to for this job. The interview made me feel like I was a peasant trying to get through the "royal gates" with this executive researcher sitting as judge and jury in the criminal trial of my education and experience. I guess the Stanford PhD just wasn't a fan of my Cal Bear heritage...and it went downhill from there.