On 20 and 21 August 2026, 42 Berlin students went to 42 Wolfsburg for the AI for Future Workforce Hackathon. 55 hackers, 11 teams, 24 hours. Two of the winning teams included 42 Berlin students.
the brief.
The hackathon was about the key moments of working life, from the first application to the first weeks on the job. On the role of AI, the organisers wrote: "Not as a replacement for human interaction, but as a way to guide, support, and create transparency."
the challenge.
The Volkswagen Group challenge, From Candidate to Colleague, asked how to build transparency and trust into hiring. Team Road One built a solution for the stretch between signing a contract and day one, to make those months feel more connected, personal and human. It took first place.
the team.
Helen, Pedro, Claudia, Kristin and Tanmay. Pedro and Kristin had already run a workshop on memory management in C for fellow students that spring. Tanmay was on the team that won the 2025 Battle of the Tech Schools with Kompass.
The real achievement was how they built it. People from different campuses and universities, many of whom had only just met, turned into a working team and delivered inside a 24-hour deadline. In the same hackathon, Emil and Felix took third place in the Akkodis challenge.
who made it happen.
42 Wolfsburg, Volkswagen Group, Wolfsburg AG and WolfsburgDigital hosted. Akkodis set the second challenge, Databricks provided the technology, and mentors and jury members gave their expertise.
Helen, Pedro, Claudia, Kristin and Tanmay