VMware interview questions

Recruiter called 4 weeks after a referral. There was no job description given and the recruiter also did not take any efforts to explain. First phone interview with the hiring manager abroad. Two more video interviews with other product managers, both not from a software background but from operational roles. Two in person interviews with very senior engineering leads. Than a big silence for more than a month while they waited for some other candidate to join. Only then they conveyed that I did not get the job. The candidate who joined does not have any domain experience and was lesser experienced in product management. Looks like they preferred a younger candidate asking lower salary. If these were the deciding criteria then why did they bother to spend so much time on me?