We're finally speaking out about our copycats!

Hey there! Have you heard of Fuckup Nights? You know, the pioneers of the failure empowerment movement, celebrating mistakes and creating safe spaces for entrepreneurs and innovators to share their stories. 

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As an organization, we’re firm believers in the abundance mindset. With “the sun shines for all” as our motto, we let quite a bit of time go by before writing this blog post. 

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For context: Fuckup Nights organizers Fuckup Nights are required to sign a contract and pay for the license to use the brand in order to host public events. Some copycats claim they were “kicked out” of the movement in a unilateral decision on our part. We think it’s time to set the record straight.

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It all started on a whim back in 2012. What began as a hobby turned into a small business. We used to charge $20 a month, our licensing “contract” was practically a Post-it note, and from the very start, we operated on the assumption that all our local organizers had the best intentions. We were young, naive, and eager to please ;) 

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No, but seriously: We were suddenly a team of nearly 15 people and growing, with a global presence in over 250 cities and counting, and companies of all shapes and sizes across various industries wanted to collaborate and bring the Failure Culture to their workplaces. A few copycat events had popped up between 2014 and 2017, but they quickly either changed their name or officially joined the family. And so reality hit: we had created something bigger than ourselves, and if we wanted to keep changing the corporate world, we needed to take things seriously.

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In the contract we drafted back in 2017–2018, our goal was to ensure the quality and regularity of our events and guarantee the financial sustainability of Fuckup Nights . Granted, we didn’t consult with our global organizers first, and we acknowledge that as our mistake. At the same time, let’s face it: there’s no way 300 people were going to unanimously agree to the new contract. We were already prepared to have difficult conversations with some of our Fuckuppers. 

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We did everything legally and financially within our power to reach an amicable agreement with the Fuckuppers, who were unhappy with the new contracts we drafted. We knew that some of them had attempted to register the brand in their own countries without ever asking us for permission in the first place; we only found out about it from other sources—we wonder if our copycats disclose this fun to their current clients.

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Alejandra Ruiz, Head of Global Movement for Fuckup Nights, explains that despite efforts to reach a mutual agreement with certain former licensees, they have consistently refused to sign the updated contracts and have continued to use the Fuckup Nights ever since. They have even scheduled copycat events on the same dates as the authorized ones.

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So, to clarify:

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We never kicked anyone out. Our interests and vision for the movement no longer aligned with those of some former organizers. It was a matter of incompatibility or irreconcilable differences. We’re finally taking a public stand against these copycats with a new awareness campaign. Our authorized Fuckuppers are the cornerstone of our movement, and we want to stand up for them. Here’s our official press release on this matter.

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To our copycats, once again: there are no hard feelings, and our doors are always open to collaborate in different ways. At the end of the day, and as cheesy as it sounds, we all want to make the world a better place. Just please stop using the brand name and logo. We know for a fact that you’re super talented and creative people, so we’re absolutely certain that you can come up with another name and logo if you wanted to. And you know, it wouldn’t hurt if you credited us as your inspiration. But really, all we’re asking is that you stop using the brand name and logo. 

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To our past and future partners: As you know , we’re all about authentic, high-quality training that embraces failure, and we offer data-driven workshops and online courses. So if you’re interested in transforming your organizational culture, we’re always here to help.

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Just remember, if you're looking for a corporate training provider, do your research and choose one that's committed to transparency and authenticity. And don't try to copy the real thing without permission—after all, you already know we're the original global platform for embracing business failure.

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