I'm very disappointed with this interview process and wish I had given enough attention to the glassdoor reviews here that Thumbtack is conducting phony interviews to gather market knowledge and insights from candidates. Here's my experience: 1. Got a phone call from the hiring manager and we discussed details about the role. Given some of the negative reviews I read on GD, I was very specific about how I could fit into the role and whether my previous experience was relevant to them. But the hiring manager seemed very knowledgeable and nice, so I didn't see any "warning" sign. 2. I was given a home assignment to develop a strategy and research on a product feature that the team was planning to release soon. I spent the entire weekend working on this - a little hesitant about giving so much information, but still went to their office with a full deck presentation to a panel of 5 people at Thumbtack. The presentation went well. Some of the people in there just took notes and never asked me any question. The product director was friendly and gave me positive feedback. We discussed in details how I'd implement these feature changes and how I'd market them to the users. I answered very detail questions on how to improve their product, which tools I'd use. Left the meeting feeling great given the positive feedback and encouragement from the team. 3. A week later got an email saying that the team has discussed the role and no longer seems to be in need of it. They thought I was great and thank me for the presentation. I was really sad. This is not ETHICAL. Please, I've watching this trend grow of startups/small business gathering data from their OWN candidates. This has to stop!