What happens when 800 Asurion employees are given room to build?

At Asurion, some of the best ideas start with a simple question: What could work better for customers?

That question was the basis for Asurion’s 2026 Hackathon. Across the globe, employees stepped away from their day-to-day work to build new ways to solve real problems, from device diagnostics and warranty decisions to training, claims, finance, field operations and tech care support.

The event brought together 800+ employees across more than 160 teams, a 10x increase from previous years. But the size of the hackathon is only part of the story.

The bigger story is what our people built when they had the tools, trust and space to push what’s possible.

Asurion is building the next generation of tech care for a hyperconnected world. That means helping people get more from the devices and appliances they rely on every day. It also means combining global scale, deep service expertise and continual innovation to become a trusted resource for technology in the home.

The hackathon showed how that future is being built: by employees who know the work, understand the customer and are ready to create better ways forward.

Building from real customer needs

The strongest hackathon ideas did not start with technology. They started with friction.

A customer trying to understand what is covered. A technician needing a faster way to make a decision. A support expert looking for the right answer in the moment. A leader trying to see signals across many systems. A team looking for a smarter way to prevent issues before they affect customers.

That is where Asurion’s culture of divine discontent comes in. It is the belief that better is always possible, and that the people closest to the work should help shape what comes next.

During the hackathon, teams built AI-powered solutions for customer care, device protection, tech care support, engineering, operations, compliance, finance and more. Some ideas were customer-facing. Others helped employees work faster and with more confidence. All of them pointed back to the same goal: serving customers better.

That is what made this hackathon different. It was not AI for AI’s sake. It was AI used to solve real problems.

Giving employees the tools to move faster

This year, teams had more than ideas. They had the tools to build them.

For the first time, participants received access to both AI models and AI development tools, including Claude Code and Cursor. Each team also received a provisioned AWS account, its own repo, access to AI models in AWS Bedrock and the infrastructure to move quickly from concept to working prototype.

That changed who could participate and what they could create.

Developers could build faster. Non-developers could contribute in new ways. Cross-functional teams could turn ideas into demos in days, not months. For employees like Kelly, a Sr. Product Manager, the hackathon was also a chance to grow by doing.

“This was my first hackathon, and it was such a meaningful experience. It gave me space to focus deeply, get into a flow, and make real progress toward a working solution for a big problem. The best way to learn is by doing, and I walked away with new skills I can use in my day-to-day work.”

The results raised the bar. Many solutions were strong enough that leaders reviewing the work saw clear potential beyond the event. Organizers expect that a dozen or more ideas could continue in some form.

This is what happens when a company powers its people. Employees do not just brainstorm. They build. They test. They learn. They make something real.

A global event with real energy

The hackathon reached beyond Nashville to remote and global teams in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. One of Asurion’s product and engineering hubs in Sterling, Virginia, had more than half of the office participate, with around 150 employees joining.

The event created momentum across teams and time zones. Employees cheered each other on, shared demos, celebrated big swings and kept the energy going even after submissions closed. The hackathon Slack channel became a live pulse of the experience, filled with support, humor and pride in what teams were creating.

“Can we keep this Slack going after the Hackathon? This is such a funny crew — lots of giggling happening over here.”

Behind the scenes, a core organizing team of about five people worked with a larger group of roughly 50 across locations to bring the event to life. Executive sponsorship helped signal that the work mattered. A code freeze gave teams room to focus. And an AI judge helped provide feedback across the large volume of submissions, while human judges made the final decisions.

The full experience showed something important about Asurion’s culture: innovation is not limited to one team, title or office. It can come from anyone with a clear problem to solve and the resources to act on it.

Building the future of tech care

Asurion’s work sits at the center of everyday life. Phones, laptops, appliances, smart home devices and connected tools are now part of how people work, learn, stay safe and care for their families.

When those devices fail, customers need help they can trust.

The ideas built during the week were connected to the future of tech care: faster device diagnostics, smarter support, clearer warranty decisions, better training, stronger operations and more proactive ways to help customers before small problems become bigger ones.

This is how Asurion continues to grow as a future-ready tech care leader. Not only through scale, but through the creativity and expertise of its people.

The hackathon showed what our teams can do when they are given room to push limits. It showed how quickly ideas can move when the right tools are in employees’ hands. And it showed the pride our people take in building solutions that can make life easier for customers.

The next generation is already taking shape

Asurion’s 2026 Hackathon was a preview:

How AI can help employees move faster.
How global teams can build across regions and roles.
How deep service knowledge can turn into practical innovation.
Of what tech care can become when people are empowered to build it.

Some ideas may become pilots. Some may shape future products. Some may inspire the next round of builders.

All of them add to a larger story: Asurion is building the next generation of tech care, and our people are leading the way.

We are proud of the ideas they brought forward. Proud of the problems they chose to solve. Proud of the way they pushed boundaries with purpose.

Because when Asurion powers its people, they build solutions that help power everyday life.

Curious what you could build here? Explore careers at Asurion.