A closer look
Lynn Conway was doing groundbreaking work at IBM in the 60s, but they unceremoniously fired her when she announced her gender transition. In an act of unparalleled technical revenge, she rebuilt her career from scratch and co-authored the Mead-Conway VLSI design rules. Her work fundamentally standardized how millions of transistors could be packed onto a single microchip, completely democratizing processor design. Basically, the very tech IBM desperately needed to stay relevant in the ensuing decades was architected by the brilliant woman they ousted for being her authentic self.
