If and when Toptal decides not to move a candidate forward in the application process, it’s standard policy to inform that candidate via email. This process differs only if we learn new information between one step and the next that impacts our decision for a specific candidate. In those cases, the candidate may have already scheduled a call. Rather than canceling the call, our screeners will attend the scheduled meeting and then inform the candidate of the change in their application status. It sounds like that may have been the case here, and the screener would have outlined exactly why you were not moving forward.