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I think one of two things happened. The first is TechCrunch simply didn't screen the hacks being presented in any way before they went up on stage. The second i
by objclxt 13y ago
I think one of two things happened. The first is TechCrunch simply didn't screen the hacks being presented in any way before they went up on stage. The second is they did screen them, but whoever did the screening had no problem with the two problematic submissions.
It's pretty clear to me the latter was has occurred, for a number of reasons. Firstly, the language in the apology refers to a failure to "properly screen", rather than screen. Secondly, TechCrunch originally tweeted a link to one of the two hacks in question (subsequently deleted). And finally, it's a high profile event being broadcast live. You're screening the presentations if only to avoid potential legal and liability problems.
And it's because of this that I have a hard job taking TechCrunch seriously when they say "we've worked hard to counteract it in our coverage and in our own hiring". It only takes one or two incidents like this to totally undermine any credibility you might have.
- aioprisan 13y agoHaving gone to the NYC hackathon hosted in May for the last 3 years, I can tell you that the submissions are NEVER screened beforehand. All they want to know is the name and a Tweet-sized pitch.
- objclxt 13y agoThat's really surprising to me. Is the NYC hackathon broadcast live as well? The main reason I assumed there was at least some vetting going on was because the potential for legal / embarrassment / etc on a live broadcast is so much greater. Either way, I think it's safe to say they'll probably be looking for a bit more info up front in future.
- aioprisan 13y agoYes, everything is live as well. There is absolutely no screening, and definitely no pre-approval process for the deck being presented, as most people are working on it right up until they have to go on stage. I was able to find one of my old videos by doing a quick Google search, but nothing more recent: http://on.aol.com/video/mybill-is-demo-hackathon-ny-2011-517176354 http://on.aol.com/video/mybill-is-demo-hackathon-ny-2011-517...
- USNetizen 13y agoI'm with you on the second part. Hard to miss screening an app called "Titstare" - I'm not sure how they could have missed that, unless, like you said, someone had no problem with it and let it go on anyway.
- davidedicillo 13y agoI was one of the people who presented at the hackaton today (ChowDown) and I can say that there was no screening, since the only material requested was names, a brief description and special needs (adaptors, etc.).
- cpayne 13y agoa brief description... Whoever was reading the "brief descriptions" should have known better.
- sarahintampa 13y agoThis is the list of hacks. No one had a "tit..." anything. https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9ROtg3duDfzZG8tMERWYV90b2s&usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9ROtg3duDfzZG8tMERW...