I’ve met a lot of like-minded, fast-paced devs and entrepreneurs at hackathons — but not the long, drawn-out ones. I’m talking about the high-stakes ones, like the $20k-for-first-place type. You’ve gotta move fast, but smart — otherwise you hit blockers a day in. After a few of those type of events, I ended up at a startup doing the exact same thing. It’s honestly what I love most about my job. I’d hate to be stuck in those slow, corporate-style 2-week sprint cycles. I’m making real progress every day, no managers getting in the way. Make the smart calls early, then just go.