Each year, Microsoft hosts a company-wide, global hackathon. This multi-day event brings together employees from all over the world, both virtually and in-person, to create, innovate, and hack on ideas that inspire them. This year, for the second time, Microsoft’s Most Valuable Professionals (MVP) and Regional Directors (RD) were invited to participate.

With the opportunity to join over 20,000+ projects or lead their own, there was plenty for MVPs and RDs to engage in. Almost 400 MVPs and RDs expressed interest in participating in the hackathon. They could choose to collaborate with community program peers or Microsoft employees on a variety of projects, ranging from education and responsible AI to transportation, healthcare, and diversity and inclusion. Because this was a global event, the MVP and RD communities could participate from anywhere in the world.  “It was really exciting to have the MVPs and RDs involved in these hacks.  Their technical acumen, real-world experience and ability to mentor others drove a lot of innovative and creative solutions,” said Annie Pearl, CVP of Azure Experiences & Ecosystems whose organization manages the MVP and RD programs.

Inspired to explore an employee’s onboarding experience, MVP Lesley Crook led a project team. “The Hackathon was a great opportunity to work with fellow MVPs and Microsoft HR Advisors,” Crook said. She added, “during the collaborative and fast-paced week, we pushed our team to think creatively with out-of-the-box solutions. We explored an HR-related project using Viva, Mesh, AI-generated videos, and Copilot.”

The opportunities during the Hackathon were not limited to being part of a project team. MVPs and RDs were also invited to be Hack Advisors, helping project teams innovate, feed their creativity, and tackle technical questions and challenges.

MVP Mukhammadkarim Tukhtaboev was thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of this year’s internal event. “I found the Global Hackathon to be an inspiring experience. Working with teams from across the world to solve real-world challenges was both rewarding and exciting. As a Hack Advisor, I had the privilege of guiding teams and contributing my expertise to innovative projects” said Tukhtaboev.

After a week of intense hacking, many teams submitted videos summarizing their ideas to be judged by a panel of experts. However, for others, the Hackathon was not just about completing a project but also the learning and collaboration that took place along the way. MVP Jeremy Sinclair spent a week in a project team with Microsoft employees. He commented, “Let me tell y’all, this Microsoft Hackathon has been exhilarating. Working with so many brilliant minds, building something awesome, I’m so glad I decided to participate.”

“I was so impressed with the dedication, hard work and innovation of the MVP community. Many MVPs took a week of paid time off to participate and the feedback from the hack teams has been outstanding” said Claire Smyth, who oversaw the project for the MVP program team. “I am already looking forward to next year” Smyth added.

The Microsoft Global Hackathon began in 2014 when new CEO Satya Nadella tapped The Garage to produce the event for all employees companywide. Since then, the impact of the Hackathon has grown every year, in part due to innovating on collaboration opportunities with customers, nonprofits, and, more recently, the Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals community. “We find that MVPs and RDs bring meaningful perspectives and experiences to Hackathon, and this diversity can enhance the outcomes for project teams” says Susie Kandzor of The Garage, who runs the worldwide Hackathon program. “We are ‘hacking’ our own hackathon — inviting MVPs and RDs to bring their substantial expertise as we work toward innovative solutions to important challenges.” 

The Microsoft Global Hackathon is the largest private hackathon on the planet with 70,000+ employees and select external guests, led by the Microsoft Garage worldwide. Hear about the history of the Hackathon at Microsoft.

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