This documentary will introduce you to the high-energy environment of Cal Hacks 2025, the world's largest collegiate hackathon, where over 2,500 students gather at the former Exploratorium in San Francisco to build innovative projects in just 36 hours. Quincy Larson interviews various teams to showcase diverse creations ranging from AI-powered dance coaches and K-pop training apps to automated "burger bots" and deodorant-spraying robots. Throughout the event, participants navigate technical challenges like limited Wi-Fi while demonstrating the intense work ethic, ingenuity, and community spirit that define modern developer culture.
Learn more about Cal Hacks: https://www.calhacks.io/
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Cal Hacks at the Exploratorium
00:42 The Scope: 2,500 Participants & 36 Hours
01:30 Exploring the Venue: Mezzanine to the Main Floor
01:57 Interview: Team San Jose State University (Rapid Learning & Pressure)
04:36 Interview: Anti-Deepfake Mobile App - Baran (Sacramento)
05:16 Interview: AI Dungeon Master for D&D - Julian & Colin (Colgate University)
07:27 Interview: Hackathon Project Management App - Kai, Ricardo, Kas
08:24 Interview: Kahoot Clone - Ji, Gilbert, Marian, Jason
09:31 Sepehr the Shark and Scenes
10:58 Interview: AI Dance Coach - Kai (UVA) & Ethan (Cal State Fullerton)
12:56 The Air Mattress Monoliths: Preparing to Sleep Under Tables
13:28 Interview: ASL Translator & Education Tools - Tri & Team
14:52 Interview: Spaced Repetition Information Retention - Nina, Krishna, Viha
16:12 Interview: Mentoring the Next Generation of Builders - Chinat Yu (Mentor Mates)
18:33 Interview: Advice for Competitive vs. Casual Hackers - Andrew (Volunteer)
22:33 Interview: Reducing Latency in LLM Development - Alex, Nathan, Abek, Prada
24:18 End of Day One: The 36-Hour Countdown
24:47 Day Two: Chasing Wi-Fi Waves & Hotspot Contraband
26:23 Interview: Trust Score Project (Credit Solutions for Immigrants) -
27:39 The "Sleep Scale": From 48 Hours Awake to Naps on Chairs
29:38 Interview: Finding Authentic Friction Points - Sophia (Big Tech PM)
30:53 Sophia’s Story: Turning Guitar Tabs into Sheet Music
33:01 Interview: VR Chat with AI Agents
33:25 Interview: Janitor Turned Dev - Shane
34:12 Interview: Creating a Safe Space for Innovation - Vincent (Sponsor)
35:30 Demo: Spaced Repetition UI/UX Reveal - Nina, Krishna, Viha
37:36 Demo: Elastic Brew (Telemetry-Powered Espresso Machine) -
39:31 Interview: Health Data App - Alex
40:32 Interview: Tactile Senses for the Visually Impaired - Cedric, Shao, David, Jin
41:39 Interview: High-Pressure Environments - Isasaki
43:06 Final 11 Hours: Ingenuity on Display
44:19 Interview: Managing 2,700 Developers - Dylan (Organizer)
46:26 Interview: The 9-Month Planning Sprint - Sam (Organizer)
51:14 Day Three: Code Lock & Proof of Concept
51:26 Demo: Automated Food Assembly - Princess, Zaira, Bhavya, Gabriele
53:00 Demo: Meight - Artem & Satya
54:30 Demo: Deodorant Robot - E, Mohammad, Nick, Eric
55:48 Demo: Voice Agent for ADHD Task Management - Maya, Candy, Hamad, Seif
57:41 Demo: Figure Flow - Payne, Michael, Joey
1:00:00 Demo: Recall Me - Abbey, Neha, Rudrika, Manchika
1:02:25 Demo: AI Government Tools - Angad, Sanjay, Rohan, Preet, Likhit
1:04:19 Demo: Desktop Automation - Hem, Pritish, Krishiv
1:05:12 Demo: Stock Explained - Saline, Anish, Kim
1:06:49 Demo: Persisting Context Across LLMs - Brenden, Katie, Jeana
1:09:55 Demo: VR Driver’s Ed with AI Feedback - Lukas, Shashwat, Brian
1:11:48 Demo: Group "Vibe" Restaurant Selection - Colin, Rick, Derek, Marvin
1:14:41 Demo: Platypus Academy - Kate & Andrew
1:16:43 Demo: K-pop Demon Hunters Academy - Skyler, Caleb, Kenneth, Sreerag
1:19:04 Closing Thoughts: Why You Should Attend a Hackathon
