I'll reiterate my comment above : the view that those candidates were absolutely fit for purpose and got rejected only because they didn't fit some mold, is the

I'll reiterate my comment above : the view that those candidates were absolutely fit for purpose and got rejected only because they didn't fit some mold, is the disgruntled recruiters' opinion (the people that missed out on a doubled bonus for these candidates), and theirs alone until further proof. Why would you trust their judgment more than the seniors engineers' verdict ? Have you ever met an engineering manager who would miss out on an awesomely impressive team member simply because of their color or gender ?