Hey Farcaster,

Any tips for organizing / running fun internal company hackathons for remote teams?

Our company had an all-hands the next day where teams presented and everyone voted on categories like “coolest idea” and “best UX.” Built a lot of morale and cross-department appreciation for talent and skill.

Giving all 5-6 set of categories to focus on (Flywheel, DX etc.) can go a long way and I have observed that it doesn't limit creativity.

At OP Labs a small group selected the teams beforehand which ensured a good mix of skill sets and leadership/work styles.

Caveat that this is for smaller teams, but IMO biggest bits are accountability as in  2-3 ppl with mutual dependance in a hackathon team; meaningful compensated time; and a pretty clear path to what you'll do with the outcome. Eg as demos, or roadmap fodder, or a starting point for a design sprint.