5 Most Influential Women in Tech
There may not be enough women within the technology industry. But the women who are involved, have risen to prominent positions despite the challenges they have faced. These women have blazed the path for others to follow more easily.
In line with women’s month, we want to honour these women who have provided inspiration. And prove that no matter what you face, if you are hardworking and dedicated, you can achieve anything you put your mind to. Women in the technology field have and still are making a significant impact and bringing about that much-needed change and diversity.
Grace Hopper, computer scientist and programmer
“Humans are allergic to change. They love to say, “We’ve always done it this way.” I try to fight that. That’s why I have a clock on my wall that runs counterclockwise.” Grace Hopper
Rear Admiral Grace Hopper was a pioneer within the technology industry with her work leading to the development of COBOL. She was one of the first three modern programmers. And was one of the first computer programmers to work on the Harvard Mark1 (IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator)
Another claim to fame is that she is said to be responsible for the phrase “It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.” And perhaps more women need to take that on board.
Radia Perlman, The Mother of the Internet
“The world would be a better place if more engineers, like me, hated technology. The stuff I design, if I’m successful, nobody will ever notice. Things will just work and will be self-managing.” Radia Perlman
Raida Perlman is often referred to as the “Mother of the Internet”. As she is responsible for the algorithm behind the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP). Which was instrumental in making the Internet a possibility. Her research has made an impact on how networks organise themselves and move data. Providing the basic rules of internet traffic.
She now works as a programmer and engineer for Dell EMC and is a sought-after keynote speaker. Radia was a Fellow at Sun Microsystems and has received Lifetime Achievement awards from USENIX and the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Data Communication. She has also lectured at the University of Washington, Harvard University, and MIT.
Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube
“Though we do need more women to graduate with technical degrees, I always like to remind women that you don’t need to have science or technology degrees to build a career in tech.” Susan Wojcicki
When it comes to women in tech, Susan Wojcicki is right up there. Because she has made both Forbes’s Self-made Women’s list (2022) and their Power Women’s list (2021). In 1998 Susan rented out her garage to Google co-founders Sergy Brin and Larry Page. And this is where they developed Google’s search engine.
She was hired as their 16th employee in 1999 and was involved with everything from AdSense and Google Analytics through to Google Books and Images. In 2006 she saw a gap in the market and was the driving force behind the acquisition of YouTube which she has run since 2014.
Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code
“I want the next generation of Mark Zuckerbergs and Jack Dorseys to be women.” Reshma Saujani
Reshma Saujani’s focus has been around building movements to fight for the economic empowerment of women and girls. One of her goals has been to increase the number of women in computer science and close the gender gap within the technology field. She believes that if you teach one girl to code, she will teach four and as a result, she formed the non-profit organisation Girls Who Code.
She has authored many books. Especially known for her New York Times bestseller Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the world. As well as her TED talk “Teach women bravery, not perfection.”
Kate Crawford, co-founder of the AI Now Institute
“Sexism, racism, and other forms of discrimination are being built into the machine-learning algorithms that underlie the technology behind many ‘intelligent’ systems that shape how we are categorised and advertised to.” Kate Crawford
Kate Crawford has spent the majority of her career trying to understand the benefits and the dangers of AI and machine learning. Her book, Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence has provided a different perspective on AI leading which has led to increased debate. She is a thought leader on the social and political implications of AI. This means she has spent most of her career focusing on understanding large-scale data systems, machine learning, and AI within a wider context.
Conclusion
We think Melinda Gates says it best – “When we invest in women and girls, we are investing in the people who invest in everyone else.”