Software engineering interviews are broken. I have been casually looking and interviewed a few places. All of which have been terrible experiences.

I recently applied for a startup who is active on HN. The first step was a take-home challenge which I spend a decent amount of time completing. My solution executed all provided test cases and I thought it was pretty clever. I received a rejection saying it didn't pass an internal test case, no other details provided.

Not sure what the solution is to a better interview and hiring experience but I commiserate with your sentiment.