The shift towards internal hackathons in companies

Hackathons have become a popular way for companies to foster innovation and collaboration among their employees. These events bring together individuals from various departments and disciplines to tackle a specific problem or theme, with the goal of generating new ideas and solutions.

Brandon Kessler, CEO of DevPost, a company that specializes in organizing hackathons, emphasizes the importance of innovation and collaboration in these events. He notes that the rise of AI hackathons has been particularly noteworthy, with the majority of hackathons focusing on AI-related challenges.

Netta Retter, director of innovation programs at Okta, highlights the value of internal hackathons in driving a culture of innovation within organizations. She points out that hackathons have been instrumental in leveraging AI to improve products and services, bringing employees together to work on these initiatives.

Chris Aidan, VP of innovation at Estée Lauder, approaches hackathons from a more human-interest perspective, focusing on topics like breast cancer detection and assisting vision-impaired individuals. Despite the diverse range of topics, the underlying goal of fostering creativity and problem-solving remains consistent.

Overall, the key to successful hackathons lies in bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds and roles. By incorporating a mix of technical and non-technical perspectives, companies can ensure a wide range of ideas are generated and innovative solutions are developed. As the saying goes, two heads are better than one, and in the case of hackathons, multiple perspectives lead to better outcomes.