During this competition, as with many internet-related events, there was a mix of toxicity and naive optimism from participants. Instead of simply sharing my thoughts, I’d like to ask you something:
You were a professional athlete, right? Imagine this scenario:
You prepare for months for an international sports competition, pouring in countless hours of hard work. Despite the organizer’s numerous technical issues during promotion—issues that make you question their professionalism—you push through because a BIG sponsor’s name is attached.
Finally, you perform in front of the judges. But here’s the twist: the judges are behind a tinted window. You can’t see them, and you don’t know how they’ll evaluate you—or if they’re even watching. For all you know, they might have stepped out after contestant number 1,000.
After competing, you wait for months to hear the results, enduring minimal updates from the organizers, even though the prizes could be life-changing for the winners. Then the big day arrives. The results? A simple list of names.
You’ve lost. But here’s the kicker: you have no idea how you lost. How far were you from winning? How did you compare to the best competitors? How can you improve if there’s no score, no ranking, no feedback—just a list of names?
Would you participate in a competition organized like this again? Would you have positive things to say about the sponsor?
My two cents: Google made a few people very happy (kudos to the winners!), but they left many MANY more disappointed due to how poorly things were handled (and not because their projects were inferior, in many cases). I’m not sure if damage control on social media is on the horizon for the next few days for Google, but one thing is certain: thousands of projects are likely pivoting to competitors, leaving behind a bitter taste, and probably making this marketing stunt with a net negative result after all.
