One of the most fun events of the year at LINE is the “Hack Day Meetup”, when developers, product planners, designers and others join together to enjoy food and drinks while sharing stories about the company’s most recent hackathon day. Held in December in Korea in a hybrid on-offline format, the office was buzzing with LINERs eager to share their stories and hear from their colleagues. 

Hack Day Meetup was held simultaneously in our Korean and Japanese offices and also streamed online. But for the offline event, there was tasty food and drinks, creating a lively networking atmosphere.

Let's take a look at some of the most memorable presentations from the meetup!

The global team Hype6, which consists of three Korean and two Japanese members, created a product that captures the thrill of an arcade shooting game. Although language barriers were a challenge for the global team, they managed to align their ideas using various communication tools like automatic translation. They talked about how fun it was meeting all together in person at the Tokyo Kioicho office on the hackathon day, and how the hackathon event was a great way to gain technical skills and global experience. Finally, they capped off their presentation with their biggest takeaway: "We made friends from Korea!"

The second presentation was given by the team ABC Star from the Korean office. They introduced an educational app called "Shortudy," a study program where users watch short videos and solve problems. They shared the backstory of joining the hackathon with the idea of "making leisure time enjoyable" and detailed the product's planning. After the presentation, they took questions from both the Korean and Japanese offices, as well as from the online audience.

Although the overall mood of the day was upbeat, the presenters still faced challenging questions about their work. Their services may not yet ready for real-world use, but it was clear that the LINERs were highly focused and engaged, listening with a wide range of perspectives.

Next up was the Pressure From Behind team, composed of three new employees from Japan. They chose their team’s name with the idea of "putting positive pressure on their seniors by winning the hackathon." They shared that the experience was a great motivator for both themselves and their seniors. This led to a flurry of questions from many senior colleagues, sparking laughter. When asked about the pressure they faced, they humorously replied, "We were stressed when there was no line at our booth while the team next to us had a long queue." They added, "That team presented right before us today," which drew laughs from the audience.

They concluded their presentation by talking about why the hackathon appealed to them: the opportunity to explore unfamiliar areas and learn new things, as well as the chance to bring their imaginative ideas to life.

The next presentation featured a product filled with affection for Sally. It introduced an Android app where users can enjoy a game based on the LINE FRIENDS characters created with Stable Diffusion. The presenter, a big fan of Sally, shared that while Sally looks simple, drawing her can be quite challenging, and they wanted to use AI to ensure she looked and moved just right. Due to time constraints during the hackathon, they couldn't demonstrate the game, so they invited participants on the spot to try it out. This allowed the audience to see the game in action, enhancing both their understanding and enjoyment of the product.

Next was a product that seemed like it could be released in the near future. It was a mobile app that uses AI to create virtual personas, which can then network with other people's AI personas. The presenter not only introduced this intriguing product but also described the experience as "one of the most meaningful memories in my seven years at LINE." They explained that it was because they discovered the joy of pursuing development they were passionate about and valued the real-time collaboration with team members to discuss actual requirements. They mentioned that over the three days, they wrote more than 20,000 lines of code, taking breaks only for stretching and pain relievers. (Laughter)

The team members all share a love for cats, with some being cat owners themselves, so they created a "hack cats" logo and even made their own team T-shirts, which they wore every day during the event. This showed their deep affection for the team. One Japanese member visited Korea after the hackathon, and they all gathered for a fun party, sharing this delightful experience with everyone.

The last team to present was Osaka N, which has been participating in LINE hackathons since 2019. With the presenter using pre-recorded audio files to deliver the presentation (due to losing their voice from a cold), they showcased all the products they've created over the years. They even pre-recorded the answers to many anticipated questions, demonstrating the charming wit that earned their products the Happy category award from 2019, 2022 and 2023. One of their creations, a machine to handle leftover tapioca pearls so they don’t go to waste, amazed everyone at the event. (Laughter)

However, their shooting game designed to stop "Impression Zombie," created for last year's hackathon, didn't win an award. Undeterred, they entered it in an external tech awards competition, where it not only won but also received positive feedback from a broader audience. This announcement was met with enthusiastic applause from colleagues.

There were even more presentations held during Hack Day Meetup, but hopefully this gives you a sense of the passion and joy of the LINERs who participated in the hackathon. We look forward to seeing you as the star of our next company hackathon.

 

For more details on LINE's Tech Week and Hack Day, please check out the posts below!

[LY Tech Blog] Participated in Tech Week 2024: Our In-House Hackathon, Hack Day!