By Najeeb G. Abdulhamid
If you’re reading this, it’s the result of a week of reflection after participating in the Microsoft Global Hackathon during the week of September 16. For those unfamiliar, the Microsoft Global Hackathon is an annual event where employees dedicate a week to working on projects they’re passionate about. These projects can be internal, NGO-focused, or related to Microsoft customers. Employees have the freedom to come up with any project idea, partner with NGOs, or collaborate with customers to bring their vision to life within just one work week.
This was my third year participating since joining the company, and by far, it was the most enjoyable and refreshing experience. I played multiple roles this time: volunteer (as part of the planning team), hacker, advisor, and judge at the Microsoft Africa Development Center (ADC) in Nairobi, Kenya. My involvement spanned both internal and NGO-related projects, and I also served as a judge in the customer projects category. To add a bit of “bragging rights,” one of the projects I worked on won the best project in the internal category and went on to win the overall best hackathon project at ADC.
Reflecting on my experience as a volunteer, hacker, advisor, and judge, I’ve distilled it into four key themes: leadership, collaboration and networking, learning, and, of course, fun.
Leadership
Witnessing the number of employees taking part in the hackathon and tackling challenging projects is a testament to the boldness and innovative spirit of the leadership that introduced it. Dedicating an entire week for employees to work on passion projects might be resisted by many organizations. But thanks to the growth mindset culture at Microsoft, it’s embraced, and its impact is immeasurable. What’s even more remarkable is that Microsoft doesn’t limit this opportunity to internal projects alone—NGOs and customers are invited to participate, allowing employees to use their expertise and resources to create meaningful solutions for others. This openness directly aligns with Microsoft’s vision of helping individuals and organizations achieve more.
Over the past three years, I’ve seen employees develop solutions that make a global impact—particularly in areas of accessibility and empowerment for vulnerable and underrepresented groups. For example, this year, a team in Nairobi helped an NGO develop a unique sign language tool for hard-of-hearing students in Africa.
One of the highlights of the event for me was the closing ceremony at the Nairobi site. Our site leader, Catherine Muraga, delivered remarks that truly resonated. The first thing she did was recognize the invisible workers—the security and facilities teams—for their invaluable role in making the event run smoothly. Even though they weren’t physically present at the ceremony, their hard work was acknowledged, and that simple act of appreciation was a powerful lesson in empathy and leadership. It reminded me of the importance of recognizing the contributions of those who are often overlooked.
The Spirit of Collaboration and Networking
One of the key benefits of the hackathon is the opportunity to collaborate across teams, organizations, and even continents. I had the chance to work with team members from the UK, India, and the USA, as well as an NGO with a presence in India, East Africa, and Nigeria. This diverse experience allowed me to connect with people and organizations I might never have crossed paths with otherwise.
This type of cross-functional, cross-regional collaboration expands your network and broadens your understanding of how different teams and cultures approach problem-solving. It’s this spirit of teamwork that makes the hackathon such a rich learning environment.
Learning
As a hacker, I worked alongside project managers, software engineers, designers, and other professionals from diverse backgrounds. This multidisciplinary collaboration deepened my understanding of how varied perspectives can strengthen ideas and solidify outcomes. The diversity of thought and skill sets was, in many ways, the secret sauce that led to our win as the overall hackathon champions.
The experience reinforced for me how crucial it is to approach challenges with an open mind and how much can be achieved when different talents come together to create something impactful.
Fun While Working Hard
The thought of turning an idea into a reality in just five days might sound stressful, but at the ADC site, our Garage manager, Lydiah Karanja, made sure that fun was woven into the experience. Pizza kept us fueled during late-night hacking sessions, and the planning team organized Kahoot trivia games with awesome prizes, like laptop stands, water bottles, and diaries.
One of the highlights of the week was the #hackdance challenge, where employees showed off their dance moves between coding sprints. It was a fantastic way to blend hard work with lighthearted fun, reminding us all that even in the midst of a challenge, there’s always room for joy.
These reflections encapsulate what I learned by participating in this year’s hackathon. To sum it up, it was rewarding, stimulating, and a unique opportunity to collaborate, network, and learn from people with diverse skill sets and experiences—all while making the world a better place.
