‘Your Excel Skills Suck’: The Power Users Turning Spreadsheets Into a Spectator Sport

Excel, the ubiquitous spreadsheet program, has long been a staple of business operations. With Microsoft claiming hundreds of millions of users worldwide, its power users have taken the tool to new heights. These individuals are not content with simply using Excel for basic calculations and data organization; they are turning it into a spectator sport.

These Excel enthusiasts showcase their ninja-like efficiency through speedruns, obstacle runs, and even official Excel championships. By posting record times and sharing their unexpected productivity hacks, they have amassed large followings on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. These influencers aim to help others improve their Excel skills and have even contributed to creating official tutorials.

Dan Kidney, a 32-year-old data analyst and ecommerce entrepreneur from London, started posting Excel tutorials on TikTok during a planned employment break. His videos quickly gained traction, amassing 300,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok accounts called "Functional Excel." Kidney's speedruns have had a surprising impact beyond his own office, inspiring a schoolteacher in rural Germany to assign his templates to students for a class competition.

Jonathan Tristan, a 29-year-old content creator based in Los Angeles, advocates for using only keyboard combinations to navigate Excel, ditching the mouse altogether. He emphasizes the importance of using shortcuts like toggling between the Escape and F2 keys to avoid bringing up a help menu, which can slow down work. Tristan has a following of approximately 700,000 followers and imparts his Excel wisdom because every minute counts to professionals working extensively with the program.

The Excel community has also become an unlikely esports scene. In December 2025, Diarmuid Early of Ireland won the Microsoft Excel World Championships, defeating Andrew Ngai of Australia, who had won three consecutive titles from 2021 to 2023. Excel speedruns and obstacle courses have added a new layer to this competitive scene, allowing direct comparisons of times and direct competition between individuals.

Other Excel influencers, like Drew Koontz, a 29-year-old data analyst, emphasize the creative potential of Excel. Koontz points to engineer George Lungu, who has built complex animations, physics engines, and roller coasters using Excel. Excel has become an unlikely esport, with speed being only one aspect of the competition.