Wise interview questions

Spent 3+ months in an interview loop, went through all 5 process steps (there was a home assignment I'd spent the whole weekend on) and heard 'congrats, it's the end, now the team just need to discuss the results'. At every step, they lied they need someone to join asap and I'm a high-value candidate, only to hear after 4th final follow-up that actually the priorities changed and they look for someone more junior so they could pay them less. They asked if I'd be willing to, so I wouldn't have to go through the whole process again. I declined further interview process as the new job spec was not matching my future plans. I met the team and team lead during the process and they all seemed very nice and friendly and also seemed to like me too (we vibed) but given the changes, it didn't work out. The ad was still open for several months afterwards, so I hope they eventually found a good candidate.