January 2026 Blog Post

EngFest: The Smash Bros Tournament

January kicked off with a bang. Literally. Our very first EngFest featured a Smash Bros tournament that brought in around 50 people with 40 competitors and 10 spectators packed into the office for a double elimination showdown. We had players from Atlassian, Google, AWS, AMD, and Canva including our own Lyra people.Top 8 was streamed live on Twitch. Lyra's first ever stream. And the energy was unmatched. Prize pool? $200 for first $100 for second and $50 for third. The night before, Daniel, Anh, and Gordon were in the office until 4 AM setting up 10 consoles and unlocking characters. Someone allegedly slept in a plastic bag (no questions thanks). Our Lyra players put up a serious fight but Sydney's elite Smash community came through strong. The grand final came to Sam : ranked number 2 in Sydney and representing AWS, was given a handicap including skipping his main and still walked away with the win.The tournament sparked so much interest internally that we've now launched a dedicated Smash Club and trust us, we're coming for that top 8 next time.

Anthropic x Lyra

This month also marked a huge milestone for us. Our collaboration with Anthropic. Partnering with one of the world's leading AI companies is a massive step for Lyra as it speaks volumes about where we're heading as a team.

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Isaac Goes Viral

Our very own designer broke the internet (well, linkedin’s version of it). His post blew up, gaining serious traction and putting Lyra's design capabilities in front of thousands because when your content hits, it hits. Isaac's been building his personal brand around design and web experiences and it's clearly resonating.

Daniel's BBQ

What's January without a good barbecue? Daniel hosted one for the team and it was exactly what you'd hope for. Good food, cold drinks, sick view (hosted at Lyra) and even better company. These are the moments that make Lyra feel less like a workplace and more like a community.

LyraClubs Are Stronger Than Ever

Our LyraClubs are going crazy right now. Matcha runs, Pilates sessions, Dessert Club outings, bouldering sessions pulling 8 to 10 people everyday consistently. The team is genuinely showing up for each other outside of work hours and it's become one of the things that makes Lyra feel different.

Welcome!!

January also brought 2 new faces to Lyra :

• Diego Untalan
• Edward Chan

We're pumped to have you both here. The best is yet to come.