Microsoft Excel may be the most widely used business software nobody wants to master. According to WIRED, Microsoft claims "hundreds of millions" of users worldwide, yet a community of content creators is betting that spreadsheet proficiency can be as entertaining as any video game. WIRED reported that these power users post "ninja-like" efficiency hacks, race through self-designed obstacle courses, and compete in official Excel championships for prize money — turning a feared productivity tool into a spectator sport.
Speedrunning the Spreadsheet
Dan Kidney, 32, a London-based content creator, told WIRED he "accidentally" leveled up his Excel skills while working as an insurance data analyst and building his own ecommerce company from scratch. He began posting on TikTok during a planned employment break, first sharing videos covering the Excel functions a beginner should know. A few weeks in, Kidney posted footage of himself racing through an Excel obstacle course he had designed himself — and the engagement exploded. The clip reached 1 million views within days, with commenters saying he completed each page before they had time to read the instructions, WIRED reported.
Today, Kidney's accounts, both called "Functional Excel," have a combined 300,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok. His speedruns have had an impact beyond his own office: WIRED reported that a schoolteacher in rural Germany saw his videos and assigned students to practice Excel on his templates, leading to a class competition.
I decided to start using my spare time to post on TikTok as an experiment during a planned employment break. — Dan Kidney, as told to WIRED
The Keyboard-Only Gospel
Jonathan Tristan, 29, a Los Angeles-based content creator known as "Your Finance Brother," takes a more confrontational approach. In a video posted to TikTok and Instagram, he opens with "Your Excel skills suck." Tristan, a former investment banker, advocates dispensing entirely with the mouse and relying on a flurry of keyboard combinations. He goes one step further: "Pop the F1 key off your keyboard."
Tristan explains that power users develop "stylistic preferences," and removing the F1 key is both practical and a flex. "A really common shortcut you'll use is that you'll basically toggle between the Escape and the F2 key to see what your formula is doing in Excel," he told WIRED. The problem, he says, is that F1, which sits between Escape and F2, accidentally brings up a help menu, slowing down your work.
Tristan, who has approximately 700,000 followers, says every minute counts when you're working around the clock on Wall Street. Going 10 percent faster if you spend 10 hours a day in Excel, he says, is the difference between "getting five hours of sleep versus six hours of sleep."
Comparing Times, Competing on Skill
Friendly rivalry is part of the appeal. Drew Koontz, 29, told WIRED that the obstacle courses and speedruns have added a new layer to Excel mastery.
The obstacle courses and speedruns have added another layer to that since you can directly compare times, find better ways to accomplish the same task, and directly compete against each other. — Drew Koontz, as told to WIRED
According to WIRED, some power users compete in official Excel championships for prize money and bragging rights, though the article does not name a specific championship event.
Key Figures From WIRED's Reporting
| Metric | Figure | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Excel users | "hundreds of millions" | Microsoft's claim, cited by WIRED |
| Dan Kidney's combined followers | 300,000 | Instagram and TikTok, "Functional Excel" |
| Kidney's viral obstacle run | 1 million views | Within days of posting |
| Jonathan Tristan's followers | ~700,000 | TikTok and Instagram |
| Speed gain from keyboard-only | 10% | For a 10-hour Excel workday |
| Sleep impact of 10% gain | 5 vs. 6 hours | Tristan's Wall Street example |
The business takeaway sits inside those numbers. Tristan's Wall Street calculus — 10 percent faster across a 10-hour day equals one additional hour of sleep — gives enterprise users a concrete efficiency target. And Kidney's templates crossing into a German classroom, as reported by WIRED, shows the content is already being used for structured instruction. For organisations where spreadsheets remain a core planning tool, the techniques on display — keyboard-only navigation, formula toggling between F2 and Escape — are the same micro-efficiencies that, per Tristan, make "every minute count."
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