05 Our inspiration

Named for Lillian Moller Gilbreth — and the women who built modern computing.

Lilli takes its name from a pioneer of time-and-motion study who made work faster, safer, and more humane. Her legacy is the whole idea: good tools respect the people who use them.

Lillian Moller Gilbreth · 1878–1972

"Efficiency and care can coexist."

Gilbreth blended engineering and psychology to study how people actually work. She improved everything from factory layouts to kitchen ergonomics, always asking how a system could serve the human — not just the output.

Lilli carries that intent forward: speed without stress, planning without chaos, and AI that supports rather than overrides. It suggests; you decide. That's the Gilbreth principle, in software.

Human-centered speed

Slow tools drain focus. Gilbreth proved efficiency and care aren't a trade-off — so Lilli is fast in service of calm, not churn.

Credit where it's due

Many women shaped computing and 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.

01 Hidden figures & pioneers

The women whose work shapes how we compute.

Not exhaustive — a living list, meant to honor the people who made software, hardware, and scientific computing what they are.

Industrial engineer & psychologistLillian Moller GilbrethPioneered time-and-motion study and championed humane, efficient work design.
MathematicianAda LovelaceWrote early algorithmic notes that imagined computing as more than arithmetic.
Computer scientist, US NavyGrace HopperBuilt early compilers and helped shape COBOL, making programming accessible.
Software engineerMargaret HamiltonLed Apollo flight software and framed the discipline of software engineering.
NASA mathematicianKatherine JohnsonCalculated the trajectories that put humans in orbit and on the Moon.
NASA mathematician & programmerDorothy VaughanLed computing teams and advanced early scientific programming at NASA.
Aerospace engineerMary JacksonBroke barriers in engineering and advocated for inclusion in technical teams.
NASA programmerAnnie EasleyContributed to rocket and energy-systems software with long-term impact.
Network engineerRadia PerlmanCreated the spanning tree protocol that powers modern networks.
Computer scientistBarbara LiskovAdvanced data abstraction and reliable software-design practices.
Compiler pioneerFrances AllenDeveloped optimization techniques and was the first woman to win the Turing Award.
Information-retrieval researcherKaren Spärck JonesIntroduced inverse document frequency, shaping modern search.

If someone's missing, we want to add them. Send your suggestions to hello@lilliapp.com.

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Good tools respect the people who use them.

That's the whole idea behind Lilli. Talk through a project and watch the plan appear — you approve every change.

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