Sometimes, you apply for something without expecting much from it.

You don't prepare yourself for the possibility of getting selected. You don't imagine yourself actually being there. You just think, "Let's apply and see what happens."

That is exactly how my journey to Google Hyderabad for the Build & Blog Marathon 2025 started.

And honestly, I had no idea it would turn into one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

It All Started With a Random Reel

One day, while I was casually doomscrolling through Instagram, I came across a reel about Google's latest in-person event — Build & Blog Marathon 2025.

The concept immediately caught my attention.

To participate, we had to submit our project idea along with our resume, and based on the submissions, participants would be shortlisted for the in-person event.

At that point, the Bangalore submissions had already closed.

So I thought:

"Why not Hyderabad? Let's just apply and see what happens."

To be completely honest, I wasn't very confident about getting selected.

I submitted my application and went back to my usual routine without expecting much.

Then, a few weeks later...

I received the email.

I had been selected.

And I was genuinely excited.

The Journey to Hyderabad

The day before the event, I booked my bus and started my journey to Hyderabad.

I reached Kothaguda, Hyderabad, early in the morning and checked into my hotel. I dropped my luggage, freshened up, and decided to spend some time exploring the city.

And Hyderabad was just... amazing.

I was walking around the city, taking everything in, while somewhere in the back of my mind I kept thinking:

"Tomorrow, I'm going to Google."

That feeling was surreal.

I had seen Google offices countless times through videos, photos, and social media posts.

But tomorrow, I was actually going to walk into one.

Day 1 — Walking Into Google

The next morning was the actual event day.

I booked a Rapido and headed towards DivyaSree Omega.

As I reached the campus, I could already feel the excitement building up.

There was a security checkpoint at the entrance where the attendees were being verified. The guards checked our names and allowed us inside one by one.

After completing the verification process, I headed towards Google's Block 2 building.

And then...

I saw it.

Google.

I started taking photos almost immediately.

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But honestly, the photos don't really capture what I was feeling at that moment.

My eyes were literally filled with excitement.

I remember looking at the building and thinking:

"What an office, dude."

It wasn't just about the building.

For me, it represented a goal.

A place where I would genuinely love to work someday.

And at that moment, I felt something very strongly:

I need to work harder.

I want to come back here someday, not as an event participant, but as someone who actually works here.

We were then asked to wait at the reception area, and I remember just looking around, trying to take everything in.

I honestly can't fully explain what I was feeling internally.

It was one of those moments where you are physically present somewhere, but your brain is still trying to process the fact that you're actually there.

Finally, Inside Google

After some time, we were called into a meeting room where we received our event passes.

We collected our passes, marked our attendance, and then...

Breakfast at Google.

Yep.

Breakfast, At Google.

It might sound like a small thing, but for someone who had never stepped inside a Google office before, it genuinely felt like a dream.

I remember thinking:

"Okay, this is actually happening." 😂

After breakfast, the actual event introductions began.

There were students and developers from different parts of the country, all coming together with their own ideas, projects, and interests.

I believe I was the only participant from Maharashtra, which made me a little nervous initially.

But that nervousness quickly turned into curiosity.

I wanted to know what everyone else was building.

Gemini 3, ADK & Google Cloud

One of the most exciting parts of the event was the technical sessions.

The timing was especially interesting because Gemini 3 had launched just the day before the event.

So we got an introduction to the new Gemini capabilities and how the latest generation of the model could be used to build more capable AI-powered applications.

We were also introduced to Google's Agent Development Kit (ADK).

This was particularly interesting to me because I've always been fascinated by AI agents and agentic applications.

We learned about how ADK could be used to build AI agents and connect them with tools and workflows.

Alongside that, we were introduced to Google Cloud Run and how we could deploy our applications using Google's cloud infrastructure.

So, in a relatively short period of time, we were exposed to:

• Gemini 3
• Google Agent Development Kit (ADK)
• Google Cloud Run
• AI agents and workflows
• Deployment and cloud infrastructure

And then came another important part of the day...

Lunch at Google.

Once again, it felt surreal.

But the event wasn't just about listening to technical sessions.

We were there to build something.

Okay, Now Let's Build Something

After lunch, we were given the challenge.

We had to come up with an idea, build something around it, and then document the entire experience through a blog.

At that point, I already had an idea in mind.

I wanted to build an Instagram Customer Support Agent.

The idea was to create an AI-powered customer support system for Instagram using:

• Google ADK
• Gemini
• Instagram-related workflows
• Google Cloud Run

The goal was to create an agent that could understand customer queries and assist with support-related tasks.

The interesting part was that we didn't have days or weeks to work on it.

We had a very limited amount of time.

And that made the challenge much more exciting.

Build. Document. Submit.

The next phase was essentially a race against time.

We had to build our project, document what we had done, and publish a blog explaining our solution.

But there was another interesting part.

After submitting the project and blog, an AI agent would interact with the submission and ask questions about the project.

That genuinely surprised me.

Instead of simply submitting a project and having someone manually evaluate it, the evaluation process itself involved an AI agent interacting with our work.

It was a very interesting experience to see how AI was being incorporated not only into the projects we were building, but also into the way those projects were being evaluated.

The Final Submission

After spending the available time building and documenting the project, I finally submitted everything.

My project wasn't shortlisted for the next stage.

And honestly?

Of course, I would have loved to see my project move forward.

But looking back, that wasn't the most important part of the experience.

Because I walked away with something much more valuable.

What I Actually Took Away From the Experience

The biggest takeaway wasn't a certificate, a prize, or getting shortlisted.

It was the experience itself.

I got to:

• Step inside a Google office for the first time.
• Learn about Google's latest AI technologies.
• Experiment with Google ADK and Gemini.
• Learn more about deploying applications on Cloud Run.
• Build something under a real deadline.
• Meet developers and students from different parts of India.
• Talk about projects, ideas, and technologies.
• Hear what other people were building.
• Share my own ideas with like-minded people.
• Expand my network.

But most importantly, it changed the way I look at events like this.

Before attending, I thought the primary goal of participating in a hackathon or developer event was winning.

Now I don't think that's necessarily true.

Sometimes the real value is simply being there.

Meeting someone who is working on something completely different from you.

Hearing an idea that makes you think differently.

Learning a technology you had never used before.

Getting uncomfortable.

Building something under pressure.

And realizing that there are thousands of other people out there who are just as curious, ambitious, and crazy about technology as you are.

I Want More of This

The Build & Blog Marathon 2025 wasn't a winning experience for me.

But it was a learning experience.

And I genuinely want to attend more events like this in the future.

Not just to win.

Not just to add another achievement to my resume.

But to experience, learn, meet people, discover ideas, and grow alongside talented people.

Because sometimes, the most valuable thing you take home from an event isn't a prize.

It's a new perspective.

A new connection.

A new idea.

Or even a stronger belief in what you want to become.

For me, walking into Google Hyderabad was one of those moments.

I walked into that building as a participant.

And I walked out with a much stronger desire to someday walk back in as an engineer.

Maybe next time.

Until then...

Keep building. Keep learning. Keep meeting people.

And most importantly, keep showing up.

Thank you, Google, for the experience. ❤️

Some clicks from the event :

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