☕️☕️ 9 min read • Article

F8 / Hackathon 2019

April 28th - May 1st, 2019

What is F8?

F8 is the annual developer conference organized by Facebook. They usually present their latest research and products.

Why did they invite me?

Good question.

What was the schedule?

48 hours hackathon and then two days of F8 conference. I landed on Saturday, and hackathon started Sunday morning, without much sleep for 48 hours. So… I can say that my body’s internal clock was a bit lost, for me and for almost 200 other people!

What was the hackathon about?

Help enable the best of what people can do together.

Facebook invited a representative of the United Nation to talk about SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals.

They encouraged us to focus on one of the four SDGs:

• SDG 4: Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
• SDG 8: Promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.
• SDG 9: Building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation.
• SDG 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

How did I select my team?

Facebook invited all the participants (200 people) in a Facebook group. We had to describe ourselves and our technical skills. Almost everyone had the same skills (iOS/Android, React, Node.js, AR etc) so I had to use another criteria to choose people. Someone had a profile picture with a cat, another one sent a GIF with a cat, I like cats so we created a team. Turned out it was a really good way of selection. I highly advise!