# Title: Bizarre Interview (4): The Clueless Manager 😅

I recently had a conversation with a manager from a neighboring tech giant about a case related to bugfree.ai. This brought to mind an interview experience worth sharing.

It was a standard system design question. The candidate, an M1 manager leading a team of ten, had passed the first round of coding, probably because the position was managerial. I expected some in-depth answers and discussions on system design.

However, right from the start, he admitted that he hadn’t been involved in specific projects for a long time. Believing that a managerial position required only people/behavioral preparation, he hadn’t prepared for a technical interview and could only try his best to answer the questions.

His responses were either too general to be applicable to specific scenarios or based on outdated knowledge he could barely recall.

After 30 minutes of unproductive discussion, we had to wrap up the interview prematurely.

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1735611933999/de2493fa-d976-4e9e-b5e4-9956b706a00a.jpeg)

In summary, an M1 manager needs to possess technical skills that are on par with those of a team lead, especially in system/architecture design. When team members lack decision-making skills in technical matters, it’s the M1’s job to step in and make decisions or take responsibility. Such purely people-focused managers were common in major companies during times of hyper-growth. However, as the tide recedes, it becomes clear who has been “swimming naked.” 🌊