There are many paths to a career in technology. Shobana Krishnamoorthy, Senior Software Developer Lead at Microsoft, talked about her time growing up and learning to code with limited access to a computer. We also talked about her work and trajectory as a Software Developer Lead. At the end, we covered topics around the Grace Hopper Celebration, and open source mentorship.

Product management is a core area that helps us build software products. Tracy Mahnken, Vice President of Product at NerdWallet, explained the different areas of product management. We talked about product experimentation, cross-discipline collaboration and market research. Tracy also talked about important skills to have in product management and leadership positions.

Technology impacts the way we learn new languages. Maya Goodall, Senior Director at Rosetta Stone, explained how different technologies are used in language learning. We talked about Lingual Learning, a company she co-founded to help students learn English. Maya explained the challenges students face and the importance of embracing heritage languages and diverse backgrounds. We also talked about her current work at Rosetta Stone, and how they’re using Artificial Intelligence in tools for language learning.

Google’s main source of revenue is digital advertising. Sissie Hsiao, VP of Display, Video and App Advertising at Google, explained what digital advertising is and its workflow. We also talked about the role of Machine Learning in advertising and tackling invalid activity. Sissie then explained her path to a leadership role.

Intel Corporation is one of the largest semiconductor chip manufacturers in the world. Since then, it has expanded and built technologies in other domains. Huma Abidi, Senior Director of AI Software Products at Intel, talked about the semiconductor and microprocessor. We also talked about technologies developed in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. At the end, Huma explained her path to an Engineering Manager role.

Leadership in engineering is about driving product development, helping engineers elevate their careers, mentoring, managing conflict, among many other things. Kate Reading, Engineering Manager at Asana explained her path from Software Engineer to Engineering Manager. We talked about her experience in this role and its characteristics. Kate also explained the transition to a remote team because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also talked about her work in the Platform Integrations team at Asana.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, domestic violence against women and girls has increased. UN Women released a report with this information earlier this year. Lesley Nuttall, who works at IBM Security Labs, gave an overview of the statistics for domestic abuse. She also explained how technology is misused to intensify domestic abuse. Later we talked about her article “Five Technology Design Principles to Combat Domestic Abuse”. Lesley highlighted the importance of thinking about these concepts when we work on software and other technologies.

Digital journalism enables us to reach a wider audience that traditionally we might not have been able to reach. Brenda Salinas, Audio Content Strategist at Google explained what digital journalism is and its impact. We talked about advancements in audio technology particularly in podcasting. Brenda explained how artificial intelligence can be used to index podcast topics an allow people to discover content. We also talked about several software systems in podcasting and how the field has improved. Brenda also gave an overview about her trajectory in digital journalism.

Technology has a big impact in our society. Some examples from the last decades are, the internet, personal computers, smart phones, and social media. Kara Swisher, a Technology Journalist, has been covering tech since the 1990s. We talked about what the panorama was like when she was first starting out as a reporter back then in Silicon Valley. We also talked about the impact of technology in journalism. Kara also talked about the lack of underrepresented folks in tech, and observations she’s made throughout her career.

Fighting cyber criminals is a challenging task. Laura Mather, Cyber Security expert, talked about her time at eBay fighting cyber criminals in the early 2000s. Laura explained different attacks that she saw and how these were being tackled back then. We also talked about Silver Tail Systems, a company she co-founded in 2008 to build systems that other companies could use to fight cyber criminals. Laura also explained the challenges of getting funding and how the panorama is changing for entrepreneurs.