Meet Oluwadamilola (Ewa) Edun, an aspiring data scientist and hackathon enthusiast!

Ewa's interest in tech was sparked by a coding camp before high school, leading her to pursue data science and computer science. Her journey emphasizes the transformative impact of early exposure to technology. Now, she is making the most of her gap year by diving into hackathons.

In this episode, we discuss her experiences and learnings from participating in multiple online hackathons. She highlights the importance of communication and collaboration in virtual settings and shares insights on using AI tools like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot to enhance productivity. Edun emphasizes the diverse skills gained from hackathons, such as coding, teamwork, and problem-solving, and encourages others to participate for learning and networking opportunities. Her project, HackBody, aims to streamline hackathon workflows, although it is still in development.

These are the links:
HackBuddy: https://hack-buddy-silk.vercel.app/hacktracker
VSNE: https://vsne-career-mentor-bot.vercel.app/
SustainaQuiz: https://sustaina-quiz.vercel.app/

Meet Luca Cavallin, Senior Software Engineer at GitHub.

In this episode, Luca shares his experiences organizing internal hackathons at GitHub, emphasizing their importance in promoting collaboration and creativity, and exploring their potential to inspire future product innovations.

We also discuss strategies for increasing software development velocity, highlighting the significance of quality developer tools and effective management of technical debt. Additionally, we delve into what it's like to be a developer in the era of AI. Luca advocates for a pragmatic approach to technology adoption, advising, "Don't try to stay ahead of everything. Time will show which tools are great. Instead, try to learn the fundamentals of AI, machine learning, LLMs, etc."

Meet Victor Moreno, Senior Software Engineer at AWS.

Victor Moreno has a diverse background, not just in software engineering but also in management, leadership, education, sales, recruiting, and finance. He's really passionate about helping other engineers maximize their professional impact and earnings. 

In this episode, we discussed the role of hackathons in driving innovation and addressing real-world challenges, highlighting a specific event focused on improving internet access in Cuba. We also talked about the importance of simplicity in coding, advocating for straightforward solutions over complex ones to enhance maintainability and software development velocity. We explored the pitfalls of excessive process and bureaucracy and their impact on project speed. Additionally, we delved into the transformative potential of AI in coding, encouraging its broader adoption to improve productivity.

Finally, Victor offered advice to new developers on building foundational skills to effectively leverage AI and navigate the evolving tech landscape.

Meet Tiago Santos, Software Engineer at Shopify

Tiago is a tech enthusiast, a disguised nerd, an internet kid, and a home automation hobbyist. With 17 years of experience in web technologies, a solid foundation in computer science, and nine years of working with Ruby, he's currently exploring the complex field of digital identity. As a tech lead, he's dedicated to inspiring positive changes in the tech landscape.

In this episode, we explore the exciting world of hackathons and uncover strategies for boosting software development velocity. Discover how hackathons: Spark innovation and drive positive change, encourage collaboration and creative problem-solvin and Pprovide a platform to showcase cutting-edge technologies like AI. Plus, learn practical tips for: Minimizing context switching and improving focus, streamlining development processes, cultivating a culture of confidence and growth, and developing an open AI mindset driven by curiosity and having fun with all the new technologies.

Tune in for an engaging discussion on hackathons and  software development velocity.

Meet Omer Farooq, Senior Software Engineer at Deel.

Omer Farooq is a Senior Software Engineer at Deel, specializing in web development, Android applications, and full-stack development. He has significantly influenced architectural, design, and coding practices, focusing on cost efficiency, quality, and performance. Omer's expertise extends to leading software development cycles, managing cloud transitions, and system automation, with a strong emphasis on AI, ML, and cloud technologies. His efforts are centered on the practical implementation of technological advances in software engineering.

In this episode, we dive into the benefits of hackathons. Omer believes that hackathons are a powerful way to unlock potential and promote growth, saying, "In a hackathon, you explore your mind to your maximum potential." He highlights how these events bring together diverse individuals from various industries, fostering personal and technical development.

We then examine how Deel strategically employs hackathons and sprints within their development process. Deel organizes hackathons when they face challenges in their product roadmap that lack established solutions. The company selects individuals globally who are best suited to creatively tackle these problems, encouraging out-of-the-box thinking.

In contrast, Deel’s sprints are defined by their structure and clarity. Before any work begins, every developer must ensure they completely understand their tasks. If there’s any uncertainty, developers are expected to proactively reach out to the product owner and ask questions until everything is crystal clear. This practice of encouraging questions, I reflect, is a prime example of psychological safety in action.

Reflecting on our discussion, it occurs to me that Deel might have discovered a best practice for how tech companies should balance the creative freedom of hackathons with the structured focus of sprints. This approach not only nurtures innovation but also ensures precise execution, contributing to a workplace culture that supports both exploration and detailed understanding. This balance, in my view, could serve as a model for the industry, demonstrating how to effectively blend creativity with operational efficiency.

Meet Sanaz Mousa, Senior Technical Program Manager, Intercom.

Sanaz Mousa, commonly known as San, is a Senior Technical Program Manager at Intercom and is pursuing an MSc in Cybersecurity Management at Munster Technological University. Her experience spans academia, humanitarian efforts, and the tech sector, providing her with a broad view of the cybersecurity landscape. Known for her strong organizational skills, San is adept at structuring and optimizing systems. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling and exploring various cultures, and is venturing into content creation to share her knowledge.

This episode delves into the evolving realms of AI and cybersecurity. San gives us an introduction to these vital areas, emphasizing their importance. We also explore the concept of Humanitarian Hackathons and discuss the benefits of organizing an AI Cybersecurity Hackathon for the developer community.

Meet Chris Konarski, Vice President, Client Engineering, IBM.

Chris leads the Client Engineering team at IBM, renowned for forming a global team that partners closely with clients to develop cutting-edge tech solutions. He's a master at sparking new business ideas and guiding teams towards success. Off the clock, Chris loves to immerse himself in nature, watching wildlife or casting a line far out at sea.

In this episode, we discussed:

• How IBM Builds Teams: We delved into how IBM assembles teams to support clients with complex challenges. These teams typically include designers, architects, business technology leaders, AI engineers, and platform engineers, often delivering a basic working product within 30 days.
• AI in Action: Chris shared insights from over 5000 AI projects, highlighting that most clients use AI to boost employee productivity, generate code, and enhance customer support. We also explored AI's growing role in manufacturing.
• Hackathons at IBM: Our chat revealed insights into IBM’s tailored hackathons, whether for a single client or multiple clients. Chris highlighted how these events focus on real business challenges that capture the attention of top executives. Together, IBM and clients form teams, really showing their partnership. We also covered IBM’s massive internal hackathon, which involved 170,000 employees—that’s 70% of their workforce! This event not only deepens employees' understanding of their products but also drives home the ability to sell them effectively, and generates a long list of potential improvements identified by AI.

Here are some links Chris provided:

• TechZone
• IBM Client Engineering
• Watsonx – IBM AI Platform
• Client and Partner Stories

Meet Kevin Dubois, Senior Principal Developer Advocate at Red Hat.

Kevin is a Java Champion, keynote speaker, cloud-native developer, open source contributor, and author!

In this episode, we discussed two hackathons organized by Red Hat. The first was an AI Hackathon at the University of Brussels, long before AI became a hype. It featured an interesting concept with gamification where teams trained their AI for a shooting game. After two days of building and training the model, the third day was all about combat! We also talked about how hackathons can increase the adoption of your platform. These hackathons, called Deep Dive Sessions, focus on helping customers execute better on specific and important use cases with the help of your technology.

Additionally, we discussed what typically slows down development velocity. According to Kevin, the major issues include 1) configuration—setting up the local environment and getting everything to work correctly, 2) automation, and 3) finding necessary documentation, figuring out responsibilities, and creating tickets.

Here are the links to some of the projects we discussed in the podcast: 

quarkus.io - Java framework that puts developer experience as a top concern

backstage.io - an open source developer portal building tool to centralize developer resources and automate the creation of new projects

developers.redhat.com/rhdh - the Red Hat implementation of the backstage project 

developers.redhat.com/products/red-hat-openshift-ai - Openshift AI, the platform we used for the hackathon with the Brussels University (ULB)

instructlab.ai - the tool to fine tune models using plain yaml text files allowing you to contribute knowledge and skills back to AI models such as the IBM Granite models.

podman-desktop.io - UI interface for working not only with containers but also to run AI models on your local machine very easily

Meet Kirill Ianchuk, Technical Lead at Deel

Deel, established in 2019, quickly became the fastest-growing B2B software company in the world. As an all-in-one payroll and HR platform for global teams, Deel simplifies managing a workforce, covering everything from onboarding and compliance to global payroll, HRIS, and immigration support. Today, Deel boasts 4,000 team members across over 100 countries and serves more than 35,000 clients in 120 countries.

Kirill began his career at Deel as a Backend Engineer, advanced to Senior Software Engineer, and in August 2024, he became the Technical Lead.

In this episode, we delve into what typically slows down software development projects and how to address these challenges. Kirill shares his insights through engaging storytelling. We discuss the importance of finding meaning in work and maintaining motivation. We also explore several key strategies: incremental and iterative development for building software in manageable stages, techniques for limiting work in process to enhance productivity, and applying the theory of constraints to focus on the balance between efficiency and effectiveness.

Additionally, we examine what skills are crucial for software engineers in the era of AI. According to Kirill, mastering prompt engineering is key.

Below are links to resources that Kirill mentioned during the show:

Pomodoro technique for time management
Wardley mapping (related to efficiency vs effectiveness)

Meet David Tippett, Search Engineer at GitHub

David is building the future of search at GitHub. Before joining GitHub, he worked at AWS as the Senior Developer Advocate for OpenSearch, where he taught developers how to build search experiences on the open-source datastore. With a background spanning network automation, software engineering, DevOps, and data engineering, he loves helping new engineers find their passion.

In this episode, we discussed three very interesting topics! First, the Open Source Hackathon Program that David helped put together with other enthusiasts at AWS. Second, the "Ship to Learn" principle—a philosophy and a system that increases development velocity at GitHub. And finally, how to write better code faster with AI, where David recommends everyone check out Open Web UI.