This week I took part in my first ever hackathon. And I loved it.
Every year, the company I work for hosts a big internal hackathon in London, and this time I decided to join in. It felt like the perfect chance to meet people, work on something completely different from my daily tasks, and step out of my comfort zone in a constructive way.
From what I’d heard, the hackathon is one of those events everyone looks forward to. I actually got the invite on my very first day at the company, and when I said I’d be happy to attend, the reactions were overwhelmingly positive. It couldn’t have come at a better time: a couple of months in, settled enough to know my way around, but still new enough for everything to feel exciting.
This year’s theme was connecting users through AI, saving them time, integrating into their workflows, and empowering them to do more. I’m a pretty active AI user, but not exactly an expert in AI development. Thankfully, the company has a ton of AI enthusiasts, so the technical side was well covered. Still, watching so many brilliant ideas come to life during the brainstorming session was inspiring. I get reminded daily that I work alongside some truly exceptional people.
After voting on our favourite ideas, teams started forming. Two things immediately stood out: first, the hackathon wasn’t just for developers: it was open to everyone; second, we were encouraged to mix teams across departments. That meant I got to collaborate with people I never usually interact with. It was a window into other sides of the company, other mindsets, other working styles, and that alone made the event worth it.
When the big day came, I felt exactly what I expected: excitement and pure nerves. Just getting to London took a bit of logistical acrobatics, and meeting so many people I’d only ever known through Slack added to the tension. My heart was racing as I walked into the venue. Semi-familiar faces everywhere. My personal nightmare.
But then something beautiful happened. Someone came up to me with a smile (the same person who’d handled my onboarding emails) and started chatting. Then another familiar face, and another. Slowly, the anxiety started to fade. It didn’t disappear completely, but I was ready to dive in.
I can’t go into detail about what we built, but trust me, we did a solid job. The process was incredible. My team included developers from all kinds of backgrounds, and just watching them work was like attending a live masterclass. For two full days, we built, broke, and rebuilt. Between sessions, I got to meet my remote teammates in person for the first time. Seeing them in real life — not through a Teams window — felt surreal and amazing at the same time.
By the end, I was exhausted but buzzing. The last afternoon was a blur as I rushed through train stations and airports trying to make it home on time, but on the flight back, I finally had a moment to reflect.
Those two days were packed with everything I love: creativity, teamwork, learning, and human connection. I met brilliant people, saw different sides of the same company, and put faces to names that I’d been working with for weeks.
It was stressful, yes. It was nerve-wracking, absolutely. But it was also energising, inspiring, and deeply human.
And now I’m already counting down the days to the next one.