No, we're not talking about chopping wood for days on end, but rather about a highly innovative method for developing software as a team: companies from a wide range of industries meet with enthusiastic young developers and work on topics that are pushing the boundaries of the feasible today, but that may already be reality tomorrow.
To begin with, an idea or task is specified in rough form, then small teams work non-stop for 36 hours on possible implementations. Don't worry, naps are possible at any time. And yes, the participants, also A+W colleagues, do this voluntarily in their free time.
The office atmosphere and working hours are canceled. It's supposed to be fun. In a relaxed environment, the hackathon participants apply their skills with great power, motivated by enthusiasm, team spirit, and the goal of finding a great solution for the task at hand. Aside from the defined goal and the time frame, there are no restrictions and specifications.
Some ideas are dead-end streets, especially since the tasks posed are often very demanding. But the working groups' results are often reflected in new, innovative products – and that's why companies sponsor hackathons.
At the end of a hackathon, the teams present their results to a jury of experts, colleagues, and representatives of the participating companies.
The results of a hackathon in which A+W recently took part are so promising that they will surely be incorporated into one of our mobile applications very soon. We don't want to say anything more about this here, we hope you'll stay curious!