[650]

This is a bad puff piece article. Jeffrey C Mays the author is not technologically adept. She was a software engineer for a year. She was director of program management at Macromedia, which anyone who works in tech knows is more like a secretary type of role asking for project updates and timelines.

I take issue with the title: `Groundbreaking Computer Scientist` in the NYT article, I challenge anyone to show me proof that she has done anything noteworthy technically. She jumped from management job to management job.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Gelobter - Her wikipedia states she took 24 years (enrolled in 1987, graduated 2011) to graduate with her computer science degree, claiming "financial hardship", but she had already been a PM at many companies by then. I challenge anyone to show me technical depth or proficiency by her.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Gell-Mann_Amnesia_effect

[650]

As most people who have worked in engineering at large companies can attest, there are entrenched dinosaurs who have worked themselves up the management chain due to inertia. This is such an example. They are almost always out of their depth technically, and are great at taking credit for the work of others. There are people in this comments section, and online claiming she invented Adobe Shockwave.

This article claims she invented Adobe Shockwave while holding the title of "Director of Program Management".

https://www.govtech.com/workforce/tech-and-gif-pioneer-lisa-...

There are disparate sources online from Facebook and Instagram claiming she invented GIFs.

There are (incorrect) AI summaries when searching her name on Google that claim she invented Adobe Shockwave and GIFs.

[rozap]

Even her Wikipedia page seems to have been edited by her #1 fan. It reads:

   Gelobter enrolled in Brown University in 1987, eventually graduating in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a concentration in artificial intelligence and machine learning.[3] Gelobter’s journey was full of resilience and dedication. She often took breaks off school due to financial challenges and she worked as a Teaching Assistant (TA) during school semesters, even when she wasn’t fully enrolled.

What in the world? That's not even remotely close to the tone that wiki articles are supposed to be.

We've all encountered people like this who are good at climbing the chain. Big oof.

[AnimalMuppet]

The Director of Program Management may have had the initial, vague idea. Is that "invented"? It almost certainly wasn't "implemented the first working prototype"...

[hearsathought]

> She was director of program management at Macromedia, which anyone who works in tech knows is more like a secretary type of role asking for project updates and timelines.

Also called Project Manager or Product Manager. It's generally the position that developers who don't like programming or are bad at it move to.

> I take issue with the title: `Groundbreaking Computer Scientist` in the NYT article

I remember when we weren't allowed to criticize the "authoritative source" here not too long ago. Is dang asleep at the wheel? I don't think the groundbreaking aspect has to do with her being a computer scientist. What about her or her attributes would make her groundbreaking in a nytimes article about her?

[lukev]

That may be a puff piece, but this comment reads like a slam? I don't know anything about her personally but the consensus among tech folks I follow and respect (and are politically aligned with...) are pretty universal in applauding the choice.

Disagreeing on politics is fine but let's not slam someone technically because we don't like them. Especially in a role where tech management is actually the way more relevant skill than hacking ability.

[650]

Which tech folks you respect are applauding the choice? (politically aligned) with is something you noted, which may be why they are applauding it. I am not slamming her technical ability, there is no representation of it online, and her roles are not technical at all and do not lend credence to the headline, or verbiage used in articles about her ability.

[lukev]

I think there is some slippage on the word "technical" here, when you say there's no representation of it. She has clearly played a leadership role for a great number of technical products.

What skillset would you be hoping for, specifically, for this role, that isn't covered in her very well documented job history?