Yeah, if I get rejected, I always assume that the response from HR or the recruiter or whatever is just whatever story they need to tell themselves to feel good

Yeah, if I get rejected, I always assume that the response from HR or the recruiter or whatever is just whatever story they need to tell themselves to feel good about the outcome. It is highly unlikely to be related to any actual reasons in question. But, I try not to burn any bridges over it. If I got the interview because of a personal connection, I will do whatever I can to maintain that personal connection, regardless of the fact that I got rejected. They might know of something that comes up in a week, or a month, or six months, or they might move on themselves to a different company, or whatever. And who knows — maybe they did actually tell you the truth, and you just didn’t get enough context in the answer to fully understand why. But that also doesn’t stop you from continuing to try elsewhere, and take what you can learn from that experience and apply it to your next interview.