I Found All the Values I Carried from Childhood in Hackathons
A Conversation with the ‘Legend of Hackathons’
In recent years, young Azerbaijanis working at prestigious global companies have achieved great success in technology, finance, medicine, and science. Today, it is possible to see young Azerbaijani engineers and data analysts working at companies like Google and Microsoft, implementing their own programs and projects. They participate in international projects, contribute to education and research, and create their own startups, demonstrating their skills on a global scale.
In its latest article, Azerbaijan Teacher introduces Shahriyar Mammadov, who has been called the “legend of hackathons” for his contributions to engineering, science, technology, and the hackathon movement—an area increasingly popular among modern youth—in leading global companies over the last 10 years. First, let us introduce the Azerbaijani talent who has participated in organizing more than 60 hackathons in the U.S. and Europe within a single year.
Bio
Born in Baku in 1989.
Attended School No.153 in Baku from 1996–2007.
Studied at the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy from 2007–2011, and received MBA and IT Management degrees from Qafqaz University (Baku Engineering University) from 2011–2013.
In 2015, continued education at Telecom ParisTech University in France under the State Scholarship Program for Azerbaijani youth studying abroad (2007–2015).
Graduated with excellent results from all three universities.
Later earned a Master’s degree in Software Engineering at the International Technological University in Santa Clara, USA.
Worked for companies such as Bakcell, Huawei, ZTE Corporation, SAP, Fraunhofer (Germany), and NGINX (USA).
In 2019, received Google’s scholarship for open-source projects.
Currently works as a Platform Engineer at the US-based company Gladly, responsible for security, product scale, reliability, cost optimization, and infrastructure development.
Interview
– Can you tell us about your childhood and early areas of interest? How did you enter the world of hackathons?
Looking back, I can see that the greatest force shaping me was my parents’ support and the freedom to make decisions. From a very young age, I loved choosing my own path, and my family never stood in the way.
I made my first big independent decision at the age of 5. I was watching a French movie, something deeply inspired me, and one day I told my parents: instead of spending another year in kindergarten, I want to go to school immediately. They did not hesitate or ask questions—next morning, they took me to school, and after a brief assessment, I started 1st grade. That showed me that if your intention is strong and you make decisions quickly, life opens the road for you.
Another example: in 8th grade, I decided to apply to Anadolu High School just 3 days before the exam. Out of 600 students, I ranked 4th and was accepted.
Looking back, I see that my motivation was never to be excellent in just one field. Whether in sports—judo, football—or in academics—math, physics, informatics—I wanted to be first everywhere. My interest was never a straight line; it was multidimensional. Today it’s called a T-shaped mindset: depth in one area, breadth in many others.
Some characteristics formed very early in me:
Creativity — because I tried to learn every subject in a more interesting way
Speed — because I made decisions fast and wasn’t afraid of risk
Collaboration — because I enjoyed sharing what I knew; knowledge grows when shared
Leadership — because I loved explaining ideas to people and achieving results together
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I love hackathons—there, I found all the values I carried from childhood.
Hackathons require:
creativity — you must find an idea quickly
speed — in 12 hours, you must deliver a working prototype
teamwork — you work with different people
leadership — you must explain the problem and find an effective solution
That’s why hackathons are not just a competition for me—they’re the environment where I feel most real. No one cares who you are or what diploma you have. The only measure is the value of your idea and how clearly, quickly, and practically you present it.
It reminds me of something I learned in childhood:
“Don’t waste time — decide, try, and it will happen.”
or in Azerbaijani: “Ağıllı düşündü, dəli vurdu çayı keçdi.”
So hackathons became a new learning model for me: knowledge, speed, teamwork, leadership, and results. Each time, I meet new people, use new tools, build an idea from zero, and deliver something working—that is my biggest motivation.
What Is a Hackathon?
– What is a hackathon? What is its purpose and essence?
People think a hackathon gives you an idea…
No, it doesn’t.
People think it gives you a team…
No, it doesn’t.
You get strangers.
People think you get tools…
No, you get tools you’ve never used before.
And yet, in 12 hours, you are expected to build a solution that everyone can use.
So—hackathon in short:
Unknown idea + unknown people + unknown tools → fast and useful solution.
To succeed in hackathons, these skills matter:
Asking “Why?” — knowing answers isn’t as important as asking the right question. Teams that ask “Why does this problem exist?” find the best ideas.
Holistic view — engineering + business + domain expertise shapes the result.
Ownership — in 12–48 hours, there is no mentor, manager, or product owner. It’s all you. The real ownership is formed here.
Systems thinking — time, resources, and team balance to make the correct fast decision.
Communication — even the best solution fails if you can’t explain it in 3 minutes. Hackathons teach you to present your idea clearly, simply, and inspiringly.
Hackathons Teach Like Sports
– What do hackathons teach students? What skills does it encourage?
I always compare hackathons to sports. In sports, speed alone is not enough. There is process, performance, and the result. Hackathons are the same.
There are three continuous goals I work on to become more successful:
1. Process
Build the largest possible team allowed. Map tasks based on skills and interests. Ask for help, use as many sponsor products as possible—hackathons usually offer free access. Have one dedicated person for logistics, research, and presentation.
2. Performance
Don’t rush into coding. You will be judged on how well you understand the problem and the feasibility of the solution. Create a bright, interactive UI. You can “hack” the backend as much as needed.
3. Result
Win the hackathon. Have a great experience. Ask friends to record your pitch so you can analyze it later to improve.
Take photos and share on LinkedIn, Twitter—build your momentum.
The Role of Hackathons in Today’s World
– How would you explain the importance of hackathons today?
I believe hackathons are no longer just competitions—they are the new education model of the AI era. Innovation speed has increased so much that traditional education—books, grades, exams—cannot keep pace. Real learning happens through experience, prototyping, and teamwork. Hackathons give students this in 12 hours of intensive work.
Silicon Valley is the leader in this. Companies like OpenAI, Google, Meta, NVIDIA are not only creating products—they are shaping a new education culture.
In the last 18 months, more than 5,000 AI events and 300 hackathons have been held in Silicon Valley alone.
Top universities now fully adopt this model:
Stanford
Berkeley
MIT
Harvard
They organize ongoing hackathon series.
Because a student learns by starting from a problem, building a team, and creating a real prototype. That is the learning by building model required in AI.
One of the real examples for me was Sundai Club at MIT. They hold a hackathon every Sunday. More than 100 events already. I attended two consecutive weeks and MIT and Harvard professors shared their latest scientific papers with us, and we built prototypes based on those topics.
Another personal favorite in the Bay Area is AGI House—a $40M house where people gather over the weekend, make new friends, and build. Mornings are AI discussions, afternoons are prototyping, evenings are demos.
This model is now spreading globally, and Azerbaijan should not stay behind. In the era of AI, the key skills are fast learning, rapid prototyping, teamwork, and systems thinking.
Hackathons in Education
– What changes do hackathons introduce to education systems?
Hackathons turn classical education into experience-based learning.
5 major benefits:
Practical learning – students choose a problem, build a team, and deliver a prototype in 12 hours.
Multidisciplinary skills – engineering + business + design + presentation.
Ownership and leadership – responsibility is on students, no mentor or teacher.
Fast and correct decision-making – limited time creates prioritization and risk management.
Communication – explaining the idea clearly and simply.
How to Build a Winning Hackathon Project
– How should a successful hackathon project be prepared?
I follow the 8×8 rule:
8 slides + 8 steps to the prototype.
8 slides:
Project Name – one sentence description
Motivation – what drove you to solve it?
Problem – summarize briefly
Problem size – scale and impact
Solution – [data/insights] → [action] → [result]
Architecture – technical architecture and components
Team – roles of each member
Links – code, slides, demo link
8 steps:
(Your exact structured method translated faithfully)
Idea Signal
Define ICP
4R Value Model: Revenue, Runtime, Risk, Reputation
Information Flow Design
AI System Design
Scale Evaluation
Product Usage Principles
Pitch in 3 minutes clearly and visually
Experience
– You participate in different hackathons around the world. What achievements can you mention?
Over the last two years, I have participated in 60+ hackathons, won many of them, and most recently became one of 50 selected participants at AWS re:Invent.
But my biggest achievement isn’t medals.
It is becoming 1% better in every hackathon—seeing myself more precise, more systematic, and more creative each time.
Winning is the result. Improvement is the process.
For me, every hackathon is a chance to rediscover myself.
Global View
– Why are countries giving importance to hackathons? Where are they most common?
Because the world is changing fast. Traditional education and innovation processes cannot keep pace. Hackathons are the model of fast learning and real outcomes. So countries, universities, and tech ecosystems accept this format as a strategic tool.
The U.S. is the leader—Silicon Valley, San Francisco, New York. Every week there are hackathons, AI meetups, build days, and researcher workshops.
Then: Canada, Germany, Israel, Singapore.
Top universities already build student preparation around hackathon-based learning.
Corporate Interest
– Why do big companies focus so much on hackathons?
Because after the pandemic, innovation cycles dropped from months to weeks, and weeks to days. Hackathons fit this new era.
Companies like FAANG + NVIDIA, OpenAI, Salesforce invite thousands of hackathon participants to interviews annually.
In 2023–2024, 36% of Fortune 500 hiring included hackathon channels.
Internal hackathons at Netflix, Tesla, Meta have tested 500+ new ideas.
Products like Gmail, AdSense, Maps all came from Google’s internal hackathons.
AI accelerated this even more.
By 2024, 65% of hackathon projects were AI use-cases.
With generative AI, building MVPs is 70% faster.
Advice for Azerbaijani Students
– A hackathon competition was held in Azerbaijan. What advice would you give students?
That’s wonderful. My advice is simple:
Don’t see the hackathon as one day. See it as the beginning.
The most valuable part of hackathons is not the prize—it’s the people.
The friendships, teamwork, and ideas will take you forward.
After the event, don’t abandon your project—open-source it or try it as a startup.
The “Legend of Hackathons”
– Some friends call you the “legend of hackathons.” How do you feel about this? What does hackathon mean to you?
If a person continuously puts time and effort into what they love, success is inevitable.
The title “legend” is nice, but I don’t see it as a title—more like a label put on my rhythm.
I believe what differentiates me isn’t luck—it’s strategy. I share this openly online: how I choose ideas, how I break down problems, how I build a team, and how I approach every detail.
I don’t compete with others.
I compete with myself.
Even after 60+ hackathons, the process never becomes easy, because each time you want to solve harder problems in less time—and meet new goals and new friends.
For me, hackathons are a platform to test yourself: choosing a problem fast, creating value with a team, explaining your idea in 3 minutes, and becoming 1% better each time.
Future Plans
– What are your goals and plans?
My plan is to turn hackathon experience into real impact.
For this, I’m working on the open-source project Prehacks. My initial goal is to publish 100 hackathon projects I’ve worked on by the end of the year—so anyone can learn from real examples.
A few weeks ago, we already organized an experimental aviation-focused hackathon with top engineers and domain experts. The format was more fun, different, and centered around a real problem.
I believe next year we will introduce this format and platform to a much larger audience.
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