personality mismatch under pressure

(common gotcha)

what happened

teamed up with someone who seemed fine in casual conversation, but under sleep deprivation and deadline pressure, they became impossible to work with — argumentative, dismissive, or checked out entirely.

why it's a gotcha

hackathons are stress tests for group dynamics. people behave differently when they're tired, frustrated, and running out of time. someone who's great at a meetup might be terrible at 4am when the API is down. misalignment on goals and expectations amplifies everything under pressure.

the fix

if you can, team with people you've worked with under pressure before. if you're teaming with strangers, pay attention to how they handle the first setback. that's who they'll be for the rest of the event. and if the clash is bad enough, remember: solo is better than a bad team. vetting for compatibility, not just skills, prevents this.