There are a couple of things worth saying up front. I was told my experience was not unique. I was told that the same thing happened to another applicant for the same role.
It was a long process. Up front, there were four interviews: one with HR, one with the hiring manager, and then the other two team directors in North America. The final round is a presentation. They give you a loose set of rules and give you a week to prep.
The whole process took about seven weeks. There were significant gaps between interviews, and Zoom went dark. I figured it was off the table.
Each time I heard from the recruiter, it was very encouraging, so I pushed forward feeling okay.
When my presentation came, it was supposed to be to five people, and eight wound up coming. That was a little off-putting, but okay, they were nice enough.
It went well, and I got some excellent feedback via email from people there. The manager of hiring manager said to be looking out for an email from the hiring manager and HR shortly on the next steps.
I waited two weeks and followed up via email to the hiring manager and HR. I finally called the hiring manager and recruiter when I got an email back from the recruiter saying she just had to follow up with the hiring manager.
That was a Monday, and they called me Friday morning to say they decided to go another way. I had great feedback, when I asked for more information that's all I was told.
It's OK not getting a job. Going dark on someone isn't a good look for any company. To a degree, I feel like I got mixed messages, and those messages made this one tough.
The people are friendly. Take everything with a grain of salt. You are on their clock completely. Realize the messages that matter are when they want you to meet the next person or if you got the job.
Good Luck!