It sounds like the company is genuinely interested in your feedback. It's up to you if you want to share your honest opinion - there's no obligation - but it might be a nice way to help an up and coming business so they can learn and grow. You could keep it short and sweet by saying something like the job posting was a bit misleading and your understanding after interviewing is they are looking for someone with a different skill set and experience level. You can politely decline the assignment / interview if you don't want to invest the time or energy, which I totally understand! I would not suggest ghosting, as taking the high road will help your reputation throughout your career. You never know if this company takes off and you end up wanting to work there down the line. Or maybe the co-founder knows the next person you'll be interviewing with at a different company. It's a small world and you wouldn't want a negative perception of your behavior to proceed you. I would encourage you not to burn bridges, for your own sake.

I found it very interesting to read all the comments and points of view, and I have to say I agree with everyone who has said you should be straightforward and say you are no longer interested and why. As to the gift card, that just feels wrong, especially as I doubt the amount they have offered would be equal to the effort you would have to put in. In addition, that work becomes their intellectual property and could be used to advance ideas you might want to save for another employer. I'm a copywriter by trade, and I have been asked on several occasions to do a "copy test" without pay, and done it. I no longer think it was right to do that. Thinking back, I wish I had countered and said I only do copy tests if there will be a reasonable amount of remuneration. I feel as though the work in my portfolio, and my reputation, should be enough. If the product or topic is something that is not represented in my portfolio, I can see doing a small test job, with pay, on a consulting basis. And, it needs to be reviewed by the hiring manager with feedback provided. I've been burned a few times on this, having spent hours to make the best possible effort and presentation, only to hear nothing back because some anomaly occurred in the HR department and the hiring manager never even saw the work. I only found out about that inadvertently at a later time. In all cases, I believe you should always go with your gut. If something feels wrong, in any way, leave it behind (with grace and civility) and move on.

I would encourage you to provide feedback on both your decision, as well as your perception about the $50 gift card (which I agree is very strange!) I echo the language that Stephanie Chernoff and Trish Fries suggested when explaining why you decided not to move forward with the interview process - and I would also suggest to explain briefly what specific role or level you are seeking. It is entirely possible that a more senior level role will become available in the coming months and they can keep you in mind for a different opportunity in the future. In regard to the gift card, I would politely share that you would not be comfortable accepting that, even if you did decide to move forward with the interview. I imagine that the employer sees it as a great incentive rather than a strange offer, so it is important for them to hear feedback that it made you uncomfortable. Wishing you the best of luck!

Congratulations on being sought after! I would never ghost any employer, or criticize their techniques to encourage applications. Instead, I would offer a short note explaining that upon further consideration, "I am concerned that the position does not offer the challenges or growth I'm looking for in this point of my career."

Don't ghost (in my opinion) if you have gone through a couple of interviews. There is no reason not to email them with your reason(s) for backing out, if you want to keep a good relationship with the person you interviewed with or the company in general. If you don't care about the company (and you would never want to work there in the future), then ghost away - you are not obligated to give an answer (as others have mentioned above). My recent similar situation: Early in 2019, I was in a very similar situation. I had two great interviews for a top level position at a small SaaS software. The next step was a take-home project and then a presentation with the executive team and their board. I decided to forgo the next round of interviews because another opportunity landed. I emailed the company and informed them that I was stepping back from their interview process for reason listed above. Over the last year, I have received two emails from the company, just checking in to see if I was still happy where I was and asking if I wanted to join them. You never know what the future brings.

When you withdraw your application you don’t need to explain yourself. The gift card offer was strange. More reason to move on and go with your gut

I wouldn't ghost--it's unprofessional. But you aren't really obligated to give them any detailed information unless you feel strongly about it. Say thank you for the opportunity and move on. Don't forget that interviews are a two-way street: you are gathering as much information about the company as they are gathering about you. If in the gathering process you determine employment would not be a good fit, it is fair to share that. Period. That said, if you feel the the gift card offer was so weird that it could cost the employer good candidates in the future, it might be constructive to let them know that. They're a startup--they're still working out the bugs.

I agree with many on here that giving feedback is a good idea. There's no harm in letting them know your goal is to grow in your career and that you don't feel that this particular opportunity is that next step. You can also say some nice things about anything you do like about the role or company, but it's ok to let them know it's a not a fit. If only we got the same courtesy from employers when we get turned down! The gift card part is interesting. I worked for a company that would send a $5 Starbucks card to those that didn't advance in the interviewing process, but $50 knowing you don't want the job? Are they trying to get cheap work on something they need done? Part of me thinks you should just focus on why it's not a good fit, the other part is to see if you can find out what the offer is all about... Good luck!

I agree with giving feedback if you feel so inclined and would advise focusing it more on why the role wasn't the right fit for you. As for the gift card piece, that would leave a bad taste in my mouth as well. People should be paid fairly for the work and if they were willing to offer payment that should've been made known at the beginning. I'm torn on how I feel about projects. I often like the idea because it does help us get a better idea of what the person can do, but I also believe in paying people for their work. I've seen Automattic do this well where if they require a project, they pay people for the time. It might be more work on their part but they value what they're asking of people.