I applied online and received an invitation to a phone screen with the Head of Design a few days later. The initial conversation was standard consisting of a portfolio review, career goals, etc., and it appeared that there was a great fit between my background and the company's needs.
I was invited to complete a design exercise and travel to an on-site interview at Datadog's HQ in NYC, so the following week I flew up and had 4 one hour back-to-back interviews (without any lunch break) with a different theme each hour. Typically, applicants are sent an overview of the interview themes 1-2 days before to help prepare, but I was informed that someone forgot to send this to me.
Regardless, the questions throughout the day were standard for a product designer role, and I left the interview feeling confident about my chances to receive an offer.
After returning home, I followed up with the recruiters/team lead, and I never heard back. So, I followed up again, and I finally received a response that said "Apologies for the wait. We definitely want to make you an offer." But, the final numbers needed to be approved, and I'd receive the formal offer the next day.
Then, after three days of no updates and me sending multiple follow-ups, I eventually was told that they are no longer able to provide me with an offer due to me being remote and not having enough experience -- all of which the hiring team was aware of at the start of the process.
I write this review not because I am bitter about the outcome (I'm actually glad that this door closed), but as a warning to future applicants and a reminder to Datadog to be respectful of candidates, especially when they're investing 24+ hours in the process (7 hours design time + 17 hours travel to NYC).