CrowdStrike took a lot of flak when a software update caused a global IT meltdown a few weeks ago. But the company’s president, Michael Sentonas, wasn’t afraid of a little controversy – he swung by the Pwnie Awards to accept the “Most Epic Fail” award in person. It happened just after the Black Hat conference, where CrowdStrike had one of the largest booths at the show, touting free T-shirts and action figures.
What became apparent in the acceptance speech was the mixed reaction from the audience and most people. Although it was an award for a massive screw-up, Sentonas was at the moment humbly and graciously addressing what had gone wrong at the company and why taking responsibility for mistakes was the right thing to do.
Presented with a ridiculously oversized trophy, the award proved to be quite tongue-in-cheek, a gesture that highlighted the serious satirization of the occasion. Sentonas conceded that this is not an award that one should want to win. He did use his speech though to double down on his commitment to what the company was doing and the accountability it enforces.
Sentonas underlined in his speech that taking ownership of mistakes was crucial in development. He made the audience privy to the fact that CrowdStrike would come out of the experience wiser and ensure that something like this never happens to their users again. The Pwnie will stand front and center at CrowdStrike HQ to remind the company of its duty to protect its users.
In accepting the award, CrowdStrike looks to further demonstrate its commitment to transparency and betterment. The incident is a lesson for CrowdStrike to remain focused on protecting the users while learning from mistakes.
