A tribute to Lillian Moller Gilbreth and the women who built modern computing.
Lilli is named for Lillian Moller Gilbreth, a pioneer in time and motion study who made work faster, safer, and more humane. Her legacy reminds us that good tools respect the people who use them.
Lillian Moller Gilbreth
Gilbreth blended engineering and psychology to study how people actually work. She improved everything from factory layouts to kitchen ergonomics, always asking how systems could serve humans, not just output.
Lilli carries that intent forward: speed without stress, planning without chaos, and AI that supports rather than overrides.
Human-centered speed
Lilli values speed because slow tools drain focus. Gilbreth proved that efficiency and care can coexist.
Credit where it is due
Many women shaped computing but are missing from the spotlight. We want their work visible in every build.
Built for the craft
These pioneers treated engineering as a craft. Lilli aims to honor that rigor with reliable, deterministic tools.
Hidden figures and pioneers
The women whose work shapes how we compute.
This is not exhaustive. It is a living list meant to honor the women who made software, hardware, and scientific computing what it is today.
Industrial engineer and psychologist
Lillian Moller Gilbreth
Pioneered time and motion study and championed humane, efficient work design.
Mathematician
Ada Lovelace
Wrote early algorithmic notes that imagined computing as more than arithmetic.
Computer scientist, US Navy
Grace Hopper
Built early compilers and helped shape COBOL, making programming accessible.
Software engineer
Margaret Hamilton
Led Apollo flight software and framed the discipline of software engineering.
NASA mathematician
Katherine Johnson
Calculated trajectories that put humans in orbit and on the Moon.
NASA mathematician and programmer
Dorothy Vaughan
Led computing teams and advanced early scientific programming at NASA.
Aerospace engineer
Mary Jackson
Broke barriers in engineering and advocated for inclusion in technical teams.
NASA programmer
Annie Easley
Contributed to rocket and energy systems software with long-term impact.
Network engineer
Radia Perlman
Created the spanning tree protocol that powers modern networks.
Computer scientist
Barbara Liskov
Advanced data abstraction and reliable software design practices.
Compiler pioneer
Frances Allen
Developed optimization techniques and became the first female Turing Award winner.
Information retrieval researcher
Karen Sparck Jones
Introduced inverse document frequency, shaping modern search.
If someone is missing, we want to add them. Send your suggestions to hello@lilli.app.
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