Just weeks after its software update triggered a global IT meltdown, CrowdStrike isn’t shying away from the spotlight. In fact, the company’s president, Michael Sentonas, even took the stage at the Pwnie Awards to accept the award for most epic fail.
The awards ceremony took place at Def Con, right after the Black Hat conference, where CrowdStrike had one of the largest booths and gave away free t-shirts and action figures. A spokesperson told TechCrunch the company’s message to attendees was “gratitude and appreciation for the Black Hat community.”
Recordings of Sentonas’ acceptance speech were shared online; Much like the conference attendees who wanted to give CrowdStrike a second chance, the audience at the awards ceremony sounded excited and grateful that Sentonas had come out to acknowledge the company’s mistakes.
Organizers explained that this final award was postponed at the last minute, because how could CrowdStrike not win? Then, as a ridiculously large trophy was brought onto the stage to loud cheers, Sentonas admitted that this is “definitely not an award to be proud of.”
“I think the team was surprised when I said right away that I was going to do it,” Sentonas continued. “Because we got it horribly wrong, we’ve said that several times, and it’s super important to own up to it when you do something well, it’s super important to own up to it when you do something horribly wrong.”
Sentonas said he will return the trophy to CrowdStrike headquarters and display it prominently as a reminder that “our goal is to protect people. And we got that wrong. I want to make sure everyone understands that this can’t happen.”
