5 Women in Tech Who Changed the Future
During Women's History Month, we honor women in tech who thought unconventionally and shaped a better future by questioning what is.
At ZTE we are motivated by a simple belief that incredible technology should not have incredibly high prices. We continually question the present to shape a better future. We are energized by the chance to share our belief and uplift others through our technology.
However, none of this would be possible if it were not for those who came before us. Today we honor women in tech who thought unconventionally, challenged the status quo, and shaped a better future by questioning what is.
Hedy Lamarr
Frequency Hopping: Hedy Lamarr was an actress, inventor, and film producer. At the beginning of World War II, Lamarr designed a model for a radio guidance transmitter to jump simultaneously from frequency to frequency to block enemy ships from jamming torpedo guidance signals. The U.S. Navy rejected the invention until 1957 with the availability of lightweight transistors. Frequency hopping set the path for technology used today for WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and cell phones.
Gladys West
GPS: Gladys Mae West is an American mathematician known for her contributions to the mathematical modeling of the shape of the Earth, and her work on the development of the satellite geodesy models that were eventually incorporated into the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Donna Dubinsky
Personal Digital Assistant: In 1992, Donna Dubinsky co-founded Palm Inc., an early personal digital assistant (PDA). After parting ways with the company in 1998, she co-found Handspring. This led to the development of the Treo, which added cell phone and email capabilities to the device. In June 2003 Handspring and Palm merged to form PalmOne.
Angelica Ross
TransTech Social Enterprises: Angelica Ross is a self-taught computer coder, transgender activist, entrepreneur, and actress who challenges the status quo daily. She provides an unconventional path forward for others through, TransTech Social Enterprises, her nonprofit organization that aims to empower, educate, and employ LGBTQ people using technology.
Joy Buolamwini
Algorithmic Justice League: Joy Buolamwini is a poet of code who uses art and research to illuminate the social implications of artificial intelligence. She founded the Algorithmic Justice League to create a world with more equitable and accountable technology. Her TED Featured Talk on algorithmic bias has over 1 million views. Her MIT thesis methodology uncovered large racial and gender bias in AI services from companies like Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon.