Anika Begay
Just weeks after its software update triggered a global cyber meltdown, CrowdStrike hasn’t shied away from the spotlight. In fact, company 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, immediately following the Black Hat conference, where CrowdStrike had one of the largest booths, handing out free T-shirts and action figures. A spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company’s message to attendees was one of “gratitude and appreciation for the Black Hat community.”
Sentonas’ acceptance speech footage has been captured shared online; similar to the conference attendees who seemed willing to give CrowdStrike a second chance, the audience receiving the award seemed enthusiastic and grateful that Sentonas showed up and acknowledged the company’s mistakes.
Organizers explained that this final award was a last-minute change, because… how could CrowdStrike not win? Then, as a comically large trophy was brought on stage to loud applause, Sentonas admitted that this was “definitely not an award to be proud of.”
“I think the team was surprised when I said right away that I would understand,” Sentonas continued. “Because we were very wrong, we’ve said that many times, and it’s very important to take responsibility for when you do things right, it’s very important to take responsibility for when you do things horribly wrong.”
Sentonas said he would take the trophy back to CrowdStrike headquarters and display it in a prominent place, as a reminder that “our goal is to protect people, but we screwed up and I want to make sure everyone understands that this can’t happen.”
