In this case, yes.

Your friend's behaviour as you described it was rude, and you should expect that most interviewers will probably have a similar reaction.

What he did right:

• Waiting for a natural break in the interview

"[...] when he was asked to move to another conference room he decided he had enough [...]"

What he did wrong:

• Asking to leave without explanation

The interviewers had already spent time on your friend, and what your friend gained was the knowledge that the company culture was not to his taste, but he didn't offer this information up front, and had to be asked:

"[...] the lead jumped into the elevator with him and asked him why he didn't want to continue [...]"

At this point, regardless of assumptions about other people's tastes, anyone would be feeling at least taken aback and might be defensive. Any information about why applicants decide they don't want to work there is valuable to the company. Employers are highly interested in attracting qualified candidates, and your input can potentially help them gain something from the situation. They might offer to adjust the culture, or decide that they should provide information about the environment during a preliminary interview, for example.

Adjustments or alternative offers might even be made in the same interview, if the interviewers were given a chance. Leaving early without explaining is effectively giving up on the company and taking away any chance for them to improve, or try to win you back.

Since you seem concerned about being rude or wasting the interviewers' time, then you must either be compassionate, and/or want to keep a good reputation. Accomplishing this requires the basic human decency to have a conversation with the interviewers as fellow human beings, and just be honest. They will be much less offended if you put in some effort to make the interview worthwhile, and let them have a chance to speak as well.

You might even learn something about their impressions of you.

In this case, yes.

Your friend's behaviour as you described it was rude, and you should expect that most interviewers will probably have a similar reaction.

What he did right:

• Waiting for a natural break in the interview

"[...] when he was asked to move to another conference room he decided he had enough [...]"

What he did wrong:

• Asking to leave in front of the whole group
• Asking to leave without explanation

The interviewers had already spent time on your friend, and what your friend gained was the knowledge that the company culture was not to his taste, but he didn't offer this information up front, and had to be asked:

"[...] the lead jumped into the elevator with him and asked him why he didn't want to continue [...]"

At this point, regardless of assumptions about other people's tastes anyone would be feeling at least taken aback and might be defensive, risking that reaction in front of the whole room represents a particularly high level of disregard for the feelings of that group. Also, there may be dissappointment because information about why applicants decide they don't want to work there is valuable to the company. Employers are highly interested in attracting qualified candidates, and your input can potentially help them gain something from the situation. They might offer to adjust the culture, or decide that they should provide information about the environment during a preliminary interview, for example.

Adjustments or alternative offers might even be made in the same interview, if the interviewers were given a chance. Leaving early without explaining is effectively giving up on the company and taking away any chance for them to improve, or try to win you back.

Since you seem concerned about being rude or wasting the interviewers' time, then you must either be compassionate, and/or want to keep a good reputation. Accomplishing this requires the basic human decency to have a conversation with the interviewers as fellow human beings, and just be honest. They will be much less offended if you put in some effort to make the interview worthwhile, and let them have a chance to speak as well.

You might even learn something about their impressions of you.

In this case, yes.

Your friend's behaviour as you described it was rude, and you should expect that most interviewers will probably have a similar reaction.

What he did right:

• Waiting for a natural break in the interview

"[...] when he was asked to move to another conference room he decided he had enough [...]"

What he did wrong:

• Asking to leave without explaination

The interviewers had already spent time on your friend, and what your friend gained was the knowledge that the company culture was not to his taste, but he didn't offer this information up front, and had to be asked:

"[...] the lead jumped into the elevator with him and asked him why he didn't want to continue [...]"

At this point, regardless of assumptions about other people's tastes, anyone would be feeling at least taken aback and might be defensive. Any information about why applicants decide they don't want to work there is valuable to the company. They might offer to adjust the culture, or decide that they should provide information about the environment during a preliminary interview, for example.

Adjustments or alternative offers might even be made in the same interview, if the interviewers were given a chance. Leaving early without explaining is effectively giving up on the company and taking away any chance for them to improve, or try to win you back.

Since you seem concerned about being rude or wasting the interviewers' time, then you must either be compassionate, and/or want to keep a good reputation. Accomplishing this requires the basic human decency to have a conversation with the interviewers as fellow human beings, and just be honest. They will be much less offended if you put in some effort to make the interview worthwhile, and let them have a chance to speak as well.

You might even learn something about their impressions of you.

In this case, yes.

Your friend's behaviour as you described it was rude, and you should expect that most interviewers will probably have a similar reaction.

What he did right:

• Waiting for a natural break in the interview

"[...] when he was asked to move to another conference room he decided he had enough [...]"

What he did wrong:

• Asking to leave without explanation

The interviewers had already spent time on your friend, and what your friend gained was the knowledge that the company culture was not to his taste, but he didn't offer this information up front, and had to be asked:

"[...] the lead jumped into the elevator with him and asked him why he didn't want to continue [...]"

At this point, regardless of assumptions about other people's tastes, anyone would be feeling at least taken aback and might be defensive. Any information about why applicants decide they don't want to work there is valuable to the company. Employers are highly interested in attracting qualified candidates, and your input can potentially help them gain something from the situation. They might offer to adjust the culture, or decide that they should provide information about the environment during a preliminary interview, for example.

Adjustments or alternative offers might even be made in the same interview, if the interviewers were given a chance. Leaving early without explaining is effectively giving up on the company and taking away any chance for them to improve, or try to win you back.

Since you seem concerned about being rude or wasting the interviewers' time, then you must either be compassionate, and/or want to keep a good reputation. Accomplishing this requires the basic human decency to have a conversation with the interviewers as fellow human beings, and just be honest. They will be much less offended if you put in some effort to make the interview worthwhile, and let them have a chance to speak as well.

You might even learn something about their impressions of you.