The whole situation was really bizarre. All the sr mgmt was on the call and it was not a small company at all.
For context this wasn't a normal hiring, partly an acquisition of something I was involved with (but didn't own) and the reason I turned them down was because they were, er, unfriendly people and their business model was an unethical borderline scam (though my rejection email was as non-specific, gracious and cordial and Dale Carnegie as you can get).
But there was definitely more to fuel the alpha-dog fire that I started than a normal rejection...
Could it have been that they already turned down all the other candidates, thinking you were a slam-dunk to join once the offer was made?
I've seen situations like there where everyone is quick to reject all candidates except their top choice, then have to go back to the drawing board when that choice doesn't work out.
That's not so hard to figure out. As the hiring manager you are told by upper management that there's no budget for a new hire. But we need this guy you plead. He's awesome, will be worth his weight in salary, etc.
The politicking gets done, and then the hire (you) fails to materialize. What happens to the hiring manager then?
For context this wasn't a normal hiring, partly an acquisition of something I was involved with (but didn't own) and the reason I turned them down was because they were, er, unfriendly people and their business model was an unethical borderline scam (though my rejection email was as non-specific, gracious and cordial and Dale Carnegie as you can get).
But there was definitely more to fuel the alpha-dog fire that I started than a normal rejection...