I actually find it boring to apply for a job to "design algorithms to target advertising".
Think about it: do you want to do that for the next 10 years of your life? Do you want the next 10 years of your life to revolve around such a thing? Even if you don't mind it: is that what entices you to apply for the job?
I don't care what the work itself is. I care about the environment and the culture.
I'd rather design a spread-sheets application in a hacker-centric culture, than design hard-core search algorithms in a typical management-and-sales-centric culture.
Seriously? Rather you than me. They're hardly going to advertise having a crappy company culture. ("You'll be reporting directly to two different managers with opposing objectives, but don't worry, we provide a generous mental health package!") That's for you to work out by reading up on the company and when you go to the interview. Plus, you're claiming a false dichotomy. I doubt great culture and great tech challenges are negatively correlated.
Besides, the "next 10 years of your life" argument is a strawman. If you don't want to be working on the same, hard micro-problem forever, pick a smaller company, where your work will vary wildly. Sure, not all of it is going to be solving super hardcore problems, but I'd want evidence in the job description that there are interesting challenges ahead.
No, I don't want to do that for the next 10 years, but I want to know that they expect me to do it. Maybe not for the next 10 years, but a least initially. And if I don't like this I can decide to pass on the opportunity.
Even with good environment and culture you still have to do the work. Every day. For the next few years. So, I think it would be a good idea to know if you like to do what they want you to do.
It's not only the culture what is important for me, but what are my strengths, what am I good at? If I do what I am good at that can be the win-win situation. I am not especially good at the frontend work they described. I mean I could do the job, but it is not my strength. I am better at creating algorithms, and I am also more enthusiastic about that kind of work. Also they mentioned lots of dynamic languages. I am better at a job where I can go deep into problems preferably using only one or two languages. And I better like let's say Scala than all those dynamic languages. I am also a speed-optimization enthusisast: at speed all those mentioned languages suck. Company culture is important, but by far not the only important thing.
I don't want to design algorithms for targetting adverts, either. That's why I think job postings should include such information -- so that people can say "nope, not interested" without going through a lengthy interview process.
Think about it: do you want to do that for the next 10 years of your life? Do you want the next 10 years of your life to revolve around such a thing? Even if you don't mind it: is that what entices you to apply for the job?
I don't care what the work itself is. I care about the environment and the culture.
I'd rather design a spread-sheets application in a hacker-centric culture, than design hard-core search algorithms in a typical management-and-sales-centric culture.