[v64]

> Has this guy never been on holiday?

The author is a woman.

Presumably, if you're going on vacation, you're massively rearranging your life for something that you want to do. In the case of employers who hold these mandatory hackathons, you're going to put some of your employees in a tough spot.

It's one thing to pay for a babysitter so the parents can go out and have a night to themselves, it's another thing to have to pay for a babysitter because you're going to an event that forces you to stay awake for 24 hours, which you don't even want to do in the first place. If you don't work well in hackathon conditions, then it's a total waste of time and money.

[avz]

Where does it say that the post is about mandatory hackathons organized by a company for its employees?

Also, I think you're missing the point of the parent post. The point is that the balance of pros and cons of a hackathon is a subjective matter. Some people enjoy their intensity and challenging conditions, others hate the inconvenience. You can observe this for hiking and other demanding hobbies.

Bottom line is that if a hackathon, hiking, etc happens to be a way you love spending your free time, you will want to rearrange your life to participate.

[v64]

I believe we're talking about two separate issues then.

The only hackathons I've participated in are the type I spoke about (mandatory by company for employees) and are the only ones I'm familiar with. In the context of a work obligation, I understand the issues with childcare, etc.

If we're talking about events that are taking place outside of work, then I view them like I would view a running event or concert or any other elective activity: go if you want, stay home if you don't. In that context, I agree with you and hadn't considered that hackathons like that exist outside of the workplace.