From AI-powered entertainment experiences to smarter engineering workflows, this year’s Hackathon showcased how Xperi employees are transforming bold ideas into practical solutions with real business impact.
Held Sept. 17-18, the 2026 Hackathon brought together 246 participants across 61 teams and 15 locations. Over 24 hours, teams collaborated to tackle challenges aligned to five themes: discovery to delight, audience intelligence without compromise, AI-native products and experiences, build better, ship faster and features to future.
The result was 61 project submissions and a clear view of where Xperi can move next: faster engineering, smarter use of data, more personalized product experiences and new opportunities to create business value. A total of 24 teams advanced through the competition, culminating in seven finalists who presented their solutions during a livestream watched by nearly 150 employees. The event’s three-round judging process included 81 judges.
From ideas to impact
Teams were challenged to develop working solutions that demonstrated innovation, business value and a clear path to implementation. Judges evaluated projects based on impact and feasibility, innovation and originality, execution and functionality, and business pitch and presentation.
Among the standout projects, overall winner Ship It Squad introduced TiVo Moments, an AI-powered experience that transforms long-form television content into short highlight clips delivered through a personalized, infinite-scroll feed. The team’s solution aims to help audiences discover more content while creating new monetization opportunities. Meanwhile, runner-up Astroid impressed judges with a server-side multiview solution designed to improve viewing experiences across a broader range of devices while reducing bandwidth and synchronization challenges.
“Hackathon 2026 gave us the platform, tools and motivation to turn an idea into reality in just 24 hours,” said Varun Kyatsandra of team Astroid and principal engineer of software development. “Beyond the technology, the spirit of competition challenged us to think bigger, refine our solution and demonstrate how it could create real value for the business.”
AI powers the next wave of innovation
While submissions covered a wide range of challenges, organizers identified a consistent theme across many of the strongest projects: using AI to make products, workflows and decision-making smarter and more effective. Teams focused on accelerating engineering productivity, turning data signals into actionable insights, personalizing user experiences and opening new monetization opportunities.
As organizers reflected on this year’s submissions, one trend stood out: AI was rarely the end goal. Instead, it served as the enabler behind solutions that helped teams move faster, make better decisions and deliver more meaningful experiences. Many teams also emphasized trust and reliability from the start, building solutions designed to create measurable value while addressing real business needs.
A culture of collaboration and creativity
The Hackathon’s success was powered by collaboration across teams, functions and locations. The strongest ideas were practical, demo-ready and grounded in real business impact, reflecting the ingenuity and problem-solving mindset that employees bring to their work every day.
“As we complete the ninth year of our Hackathon journey, I’m amazed by how every year pushes us to think differently and aim higher,” said Daina Emmanuel, a member of the Hackathon organizing team and senior director of software development. “What stands out most is the way people from across the company come together, bringing different perspectives while sharing the same enthusiasm for solving real problems. That energy and willingness to think outside the box is what makes this event special year after year.”
Congratulations to all participants, finalists and award winners for pushing boundaries, exploring new possibilities and helping shape what’s next for Xperi.
