Lynn Conway, microchip pioneer who overcame transgender discrimination, dies at 86

By ED WHITE
Associated Press

A pioneer in the design of the microchips that make modern consumer electronics possible has died. Lynn Conway also became known for overcoming discrimination. She was fired by IBM in the 1960s when she disclosed plans for a gender transition. Conway’s death, at the age of 86, was announced by the University of Michigan, where she had served on the engineering faculty. Conway is credited, along with Carver Mead at the California Institute of Technology, with developing algorithms that enabled software to arrange millions of transistors on each chip. IBM apologized in 2020 for firing Conway and awarded her a lifetime achievement award.