Robert E. Cook

Founder of VM Software (later renamed Systems Center), a provider of software utilities for IBM's VM operating system, Cook built his first company into a firm listed on both the Nasdaq and...

Alston Scott Householder

Instrumental in introducing the ORACLE computer to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Householder was also an American mathematician who specialized in mathematical biology and numerical analysis, and was the inventor of the Householder...

Karl Ferdinand Braun

Inventor of the cathode-ray tube, Braun built the first such device in 1897 — known as the "Braun Tube" in German-speaking countries. During the development of radio, he also worked on wireless...

Peter R. Jennings

Author of the first commercially successful chess program for microcomputers, Jennings is a Canadian physicist, interdisciplinary scientist, inventor, software developer, computer chess programmer, businessman, and paraglider. Born in England, his family moved...

Fletcher R. Jones

Co-founder of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), which became the largest software company in the United States, Jones was an American businessman and computer pioneer who also owned thoroughbred racehorses. Jones was born...

David (Dave) Dana Clark

Chief Protocol Architect in the development of the Internet, Clark is an American computer scientist. He graduated from Swarthmore College, southwest of Philadelphia, in 1966. In 1968, he received his Master's and...

Steve Chen

Principal designer of the Cray X-MP and Cray Y-MP multiprocessor supercomputers, Chen is a computer engineering pioneer. He has served as founder and CEO of Galactic Computing, a developer of supercomputing blade...

Michael R Williams

A pioneer in the history of computing who is — unusually — a computer scientist himself, Williams has published books and articles, taught, curated museum exhibits, and promoted professional activity in the...

Paul M. Horn

Pioneer in the use of copper and self-assembly in chip manufacturing and contributor to pervasive computing, Horn is an American computer scientist and solid state physicist. He spent 28 years with IBM...

Priit Kasesalu

Co-developer of Skype and head programmer for Kazaa Media Desktop, Kasesalu is a pioneering Estonian software developer. In 1986, he began his career as a programmer for a local hardware manufacturer with...

Padmasree Warrior

Recognized by Forbes as one of the 100 most powerful women in the world in 2014, Warrior is an Indian-American technology executive with a career spanning major roles in hardware, software, and...

Frederick M. Hoar

A Silicon Valley public relations and marketing executive legend, Hoar died January 2 after a three-year bout with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He was 77. Hoar was one of Silicon Valley's most visible public...

Diane B. Greene

Co-founder and former CEO of VMware, Greene led the company through an IPO and to a $2B run-rate. Born in Rochester, New York, she was raised in Annapolis, Md. She received her...

Andrew Mason

Developer of Groupon, a website that sells deals to local businesses, Mason grew up in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, and graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School in 1999. He...

Jeffrey (Jeff) Preston Bezos

Founder and CEO of Amazon.com, Bezos graduated from Princeton University as a member of Tau Beta Pi and worked as a financial analyst for D. E. Shaw & Co. before founding Amazon...

Burton J. Smith

Primary architect of the Denelcor Heterogeneous Element Processor (HEP), Smith was a pioneering computer architect who served as a Technical Fellow at Microsoft. He earned a B.S.E.E. degree from the University of...

David Lorge Parnas

Originator of the concept of information hiding in modular programming, Parnas is a Canadian early pioneer of software engineering whose work became a foundational element of object-oriented programming. He has also been...

Galileo Galilei

Called "the Father of Modern Science," Galilei played a major role in the Scientific Revolution, including landmark improvements to the telescope and the invention of an improved military compass. He was born...

Estil Hoversten

Co-conceiver of the Internet Stream Protocol (ST), a connection-oriented complement to IPv4 notable for introducing the concepts of packetized voice, Hoversten has served as Senior Vice President of Hughes Network Systems, LLC...

Peter Karmanos, Jr.

Co-founder of Compuware, a worldwide leader in software technology, Karmanos launched the company in 1973 with two partners, Thomas Thewes and Allen Cutting. Born into a Greek immigrant family, he graduated from...