I’m always excited to see more women making their mark in the field. In recent years, the tech industry has become more diverse, with more women and people of color making significant contributions. In particular, black women have been at the forefront of this movement, breaking down barriers and paving the way for the next generation of innovators. Here are some of the top ten women in tech who have made their way on to sites like Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list or The New York Times’ 50 Most Influential Women list. Happy reading!
Megan Smith
Megan Smith is a technology executive and former Chief Technology Officer of the United States under President Barack Obama. She was the third person to hold this position, and the first woman to do so.
Prior to her role in the White House, Smith was Vice President of Google’s New Business Development, where she led the company’s acquisitions of Google Earth, Google Maps, and Picasa. She was also a co-founder and CEO of PlanetOut, an online LGBT community website. In addition to her work in government, Smith is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in technology and co-founded the organization “Tech Jobs Tour,” which aims to promote technology job opportunities to underrepresented communities.
She is the founder and CEO of shift7 and serves on the board of MIT Media Lab and Vital Voices.Â
Kimberly Bryant
Kimberly Bryant is the founder of Black Girls Code, a non-profit organization that teaches computer coding to young black girls. Bryant was inspired to start the organization when she saw that there were few opportunities for girls like her daughter to learn coding. Since its inception, Black Girls Code has taught thousands of girls how to code, and has become an important voice for diversity and inclusion in the tech industry.
Susan Wojcicki
Susan Wojcicki is a technology executive and the current CEO of YouTube. She joined Google, the parent company of YouTube, in 1999 and was one of its earliest employees. At Google, Wojcicki held various leadership positions, including Senior Vice President of Advertising and Commerce and Senior Vice President of Google’s advertising and analytic products.
Wojcicki is credited with the creation of Google AdSense, a program that allows website owners to earn revenue by displaying ads on their pages. She also played a key role in Google’s acquisition of YouTube in 2006, which is now one of the most popular websites on the internet.
Dr. Ayanna Howard
Ayanna Howard is a prominent roboticist and computer scientist. She is currently the Dean of the College of Engineering at Ohio State University. Dr. Howard has made significant contributions to the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence, particularly in the area of assistive technologies for children with disabilities. She has also held positions at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC).
Dr. Howard is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl Sandberg served as the COO of Meta Platforms and she was the first woman on the board of directors at Facebook. She’s also an activist for women’s rights, writing a book about women and work called Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.
Marissa Mayer
Marissa Mayer is a former Google executive who served as the president of Google from 2012 to 2015. She was also the first female engineer hired at Google and has been recognized for her work in artificial intelligence, search and web services. She served as CEO of Yahoo and founded tech incubator Lumi Labs now Sunshine.
Mayer currently serves as co-founder of Sunshine, a digital publishing platform that helps brands create immersive content for mobile devices.
Meg Whitman
Meg Whitman is the U.S. ambassador to kenya. She was the CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, one of the largest technology companies in the world. In addition to her impressive career accomplishments, Whitman also held several board memberships including Procter & Gamble (P&G), where she served as chairwoman; General Motors. She  served as CEO eBay Inc and Quibi.
Whitman received her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University before earning her Master’s Degree at Harvard Business School where she graduated first in her class.
Dr. Lisa Gelobter
Dr. Lisa Gelobter is the CEO and Co-founder of tEQuitable, a company that uses technology to make workplaces more equitable.She was the Chief Digital Service Officer for the U.S. Department of Education. She is a prominent technologist and software engineer who has worked for companies like AOL, BET, and Hulu. Gelobter has been recognized for her work in developing and implementing innovative technologies and is a prominent advocate for diversity and inclusion in the tech industry.
Padmasree Warrior
Padmasree Warrior is the former Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Cisco Systems, one of the world’s largest networking equipment companies and CTO of Motorola. Again, she served as the CEO of Nio, an electric car company and she is currently the founder and CEO of Fable, a curated reading platform focused on mental wellness. Warrior is a prominent businesswoman and technologist, and she has been recognized for her contributions to the tech industry. During her time at Cisco, she oversaw the development of new products and initiatives, including the company’s focus on the Internet of Things (IoT).
Jennifer PahlkaÂ
Jennifer Pahlka is the Founder and former Executive Director of Code for America, a nonprofit that works to bring technology and civic innovation to local governments. She’s also a technology policy expert and has served as the U.S. deputy chief technology officer for the city of Washington, DC and founded the United States Digital Service.
These women are amazing at their jobs and deserve to be mentioned. They are all great at what they do, inspiring, and an inspiration to women everywhere. They are a great example of how women can succeed in tech
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our list of the top ten women in tech. We know it was hard to choose just ten, but these women are amazing at their jobs and deserve to be mentioned!