This is a nice little story, but I don't see what the problem is. The hiring manager states: "The problems we’re working on involve in-depth data analysis tha

This is a nice little story, but I don't see what the problem is. The hiring manager states: "The problems we’re working on involve in-depth data analysis that require an extensive math and algorithms background" So if you know a bunch of programming languages and built some fairly successful websites, why would you even apply for that job? You're and entrepeneur and a "general programmer" at best or maybe even a "web programmer" only just good enough to hack a CRUD site together. If the job posting actually indicated the need for in-depth data analysis with extensive maths and algorithms then this applicant wasted everyone's time by even applying. I suspect that there is some assumption that the hiring manager doesn't know what she's talking about regarding the in-depth data analysis but I don't see where that assumption would come from.