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Ask HN: Hackathons feel fake now
121–130 of 140 posts
Re: Ask HN: Hackathons feel fake now
#122That has been the case since about 2017 for me. MLH took over a ton of college level hackathons and made them into a psuedo e-sports competition. And most of their prizes were for best uses of sponsored APIs and services - like "best use of AWS Lambda(TM)" or something. And then all the other events followed suit. That behavior ruined the original ideas and incentives behind hackathons: networking and building cool stuff. Because why build something actually cool and sustainable when you have all those sponsors shoving free API credits in your face all the time you're at the event?
Re: Ask HN: Hackathons feel fake now
#123When I was in college (over 20 years ago now), what we called “hackathons” was a bunch of us (4-6 max) holing up in an apartment for the weekend, and working on our personal projects while ordering pizza and sleeping on couches. It was really nice having a group of people you could demo what you were working on/ask for help or feedback within immediate range at all times. There was also something really peaceful abou…
> There was also something really peaceful about coding at 5a on Sunday while everyone else was fast asleep Great times
I still do this occasionally, but I instead go to bed super early and wake up at 4:30-5 AM. You get the serenity of coding at the break of dawn but with none of the grogginess of the all nighter.
Re: Ask HN: Hackathons feel fake now
#124I mostly agree with the premise, but to point out something kinda funny: these complaints are basically identical to the ones I remember from a time I personally remember as the "heyday" of hackathons (early/mid 2010s). I think: - they've had this degree of fakeness for almost the entirety of their existence (as long as they've needed "sponsorship" / been 6+ figure events) - at its best, there also was a scene/subcul…
I have never heard the term "Hackathon" used in any context other than a recruiting/sales event targeted at early-career types. Meatspace get-togethers focused on hacking, either for a specific project or for a clique, never used the term "Hackathon". At least in my circles. Those were just "get togethers" or maybe "hacking weekends". But with small caps. I.e., not "Hacking Weekends" or "Hackathons", but "a weekend w…
> I've never lived in SF so maybe it was more of a thing there.
Yeah it's definitely more of an SF/SV thing for sure, if they're even still happening. Seattle had some hackathons and Dubhacks is still a thing (I think?), but they fizzled out by 2019 and Covid ended whatever was left. NYC had some as well, iirc, but they went away too along the same timeline.
Re: Ask HN: Hackathons feel fake now
#125I organized some grassroots hackathon events 10+ years ago. Turnout was mostly students and die-hard geeks who wanted something to do on the weekend. Even in this small pond we had a local startup sponsor and try to shoe-horn their service into it. When I attended bigger events with bigger sponsors it felt like 90% marketing to pitch your idea. The actual technical side was never that impressive or interesting. One c…
There is nothing wrong with a sponsor if it affords cash to spend on food and refreshments for attendees. I believe there are right and wrong ways to sponsor these events. You have to keep in mind developers are one of the most marketing skeptical audiences extant, but it’s possible for it to be done well.
The issue is if that sponsor becomes too pushy, which a lot of them did become after a short amount of time.
Re: Ask HN: Hackathons feel fake now
#126Earlier quoted context omitted.
I... I'm about to hit 40 in a couple of years, and I still pull all nighters on the couch when I'm deep into my weekend hobby projects. Not to be overly sentimental, but for me the 5am feeling is still the same if not better with family and pets around and the sunrise view I created for myself.
Why would you sleep on the couch?
Because it is one of the best sleeps when work/code/game until you pass out.
Re: Ask HN: Hackathons feel fake now
#127They've always felt fake to me.
Re: Ask HN: Hackathons feel fake now
#128i
Re: Ask HN: Hackathons feel fake now
#129When I was in college (over 20 years ago now), what we called “hackathons” was a bunch of us (4-6 max) holing up in an apartment for the weekend, and working on our personal projects while ordering pizza and sleeping on couches. It was really nice having a group of people you could demo what you were working on/ask for help or feedback within immediate range at all times. There was also something really peaceful abou…
I... I'm about to hit 40 in a couple of years, and I still pull all nighters on the couch when I'm deep into my weekend hobby projects. Not to be overly sentimental, but for me the 5am feeling is still the same if not better with family and pets around and the sunrise view I created for myself.
I'm much the same. For me, though, the best all-nighters have come from when insomnia hits and I can't stop thinking about a bug. Then I cave in, get out of bed, and hack away.
It's essential to have a flexible employer though.
Re: Ask HN: Hackathons feel fake now
#130I think there's a natural process similar to gentrification in which as technology matures the hackathons promoting it transition into marketing-led events. I got into hackathons in the early 2010s when IoT was the hot new thing and saw the crowds change from hardcore technologists to mostly students and idea people. The fact is the same thing that what drew me in is what attracted them - opportunity and optimism. Sponsors expect ROI and once a technology is no longer experimental, the same tired projects tend to win because they are tried and true.
I've been to a couple of good hackathons lately but they are more focused on vibe coding and tend to only run for 8-12 hours. These let you try out an idea or framework with little commitment but lack the depth of multi-day events. I've been attending an XR hackathon for almost a decade which still embodies the ethos, but it is a labor of love carried out by volunteers. These longer, challenging and intentional events can teach you more about teamwork and product in one weekend than a year of churning through tickets.