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Selection Sprint, August 2026

11.8.2026

A new group starts the Selection Sprint: three weeks, full-time and on-site. It’s how Hive decides who gets in, and how the people arriving decide whether Hive is for them.

The doors open at ten, and the place fills up fast. There’s a line to pick up a keycard, then it’s find a screen and get started.

The first conversations start in that queue, between people who have never met.

Bright indoor event space with a group of people standing and talking; a smiling woman in a light blue top sits in a wheelchair at left while others hold coats and bags, including a woman in a pink skirt at right.

Busy indoor event registration area showing two staff in matching black T-shirts with a white graphic seated at a long wooden counter using laptops and handing out lanyards and materials while a long line of people waits behind them in an open-plan office with exposed beams, potted plants and yellow sofas.

Reception desk scene: a staff member with dark hair in a ponytail and yellow-framed glasses gestures at a laptop screen showing a photo while speaking to a man seated across the counter; a stainless water bottle, potted plant and a plastic water bottle sit on the desk and a blue wall with a circular logo is visible in the background.

A group of people in casual clothing gathered inside an industrial-style event space with exposed ceilings; a woman in a bright pink and white dress stands near the center while others form a loose line or cluster.

Person with braided hair seen from behind stands at a reception desk where a smiling receptionist with light hair engages with them in a bright, modern co‑working space with pendant lights overhead, a window in the background, and hand sanitizer and a potted plant on the counter.

At half past ten, the doors close. That’s the last clear instruction anyone gives.

From there, nobody stands at the front to explain what comes next. There are no teachers and no lectures. If someone can’t log in or runs into a technical problem, they get a hand with that much. The work itself, the first project and everything after it, is theirs to work out. The one thing we keep saying is to talk to the people around you and work together, because everyone in the room is in the same position.

Some arrive with a bit of experience behind them, some with none. Either way, everyone’s first morning looks much the same. They sit with a problem, ask the person at the next screen, and try something.

There’s a real mix in the air. Plenty of excitement, and a fair amount of nerves. It’s a room full of people from very different places, most meeting for the first time, about to build software together.

Two people seen from behind sitting side-by-side at large desktop computers in a bright computer lab, one with blonde hair and one with dark hair tied back, while others work at rows of monitors in the background.

Busy open-plan computer lab with people seated at rows of iMacs and others standing, talking and collaborating; visible individuals include a person wearing a headscarf and another wearing a baseball cap.

Wide shot of a busy open-plan computer classroom or office with people seated in rows at desktop Macs, focused on their screens while a few staff stand near a whiteboard at the back that has "Welcome" written on it.

Two coworkers sit at adjacent iMacs in a modern open-plan office — a bearded man wearing a yellow cap and glasses points at one monitor while a colleague in a black cap looks on holding a phone, with other workers and desks visible in the background.

At two in the afternoon, everything stops for the one fixed point in the day: the welcome, which everyone attends. It’s the only time all day the whole group is in one room, hearing the same thing at the same time.

After that, the structure falls away again. People are free to spend the rest of the day how they like, and for most that means heading back to the first project. For some, the open afternoon is the strangest part of all. There’s no timetable and no next session to turn up to, just the work and whatever they decide to do with it.

Crowded indoor meeting room with adults seated in rows, many talking or checking phones, a woman near the center holding a cup, a person in an orange hoodie at the right, large windows and a presentation area in the background

Presenter standing next to a large wall-mounted screen displaying the word "Agenda" and bulleted text, pointing to it while a seated audience in colorful chairs watches in a modern open-office meeting room with exposed ceiling and windows.

A diverse group of young adults seated in rows in a bright, modern event space, smiling and chatting while facing a presentation area with a large screen and wall logo, with casual clothing, backpacks and plants visible.

And then it’s three weeks of that, with the group from the keycard line. The work gets harder from here. Problems that look impossible on a Monday get solved by Thursday, and harder ones take their place. People who arrive as strangers will be leaning on each other by the end of the week, whether they plan to or not.

To our sprinters: welcome, and good luck. Three weeks of hard problems and unfamiliar faces sounds like a lot, and it is. It also tends to go faster than anyone expects. We’re really glad you’re here.

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