Lynn Conway was a trans woman in tech—and underappreciated for decades after she helped launch the computing revolution

Lynn Conway may hold the record for longest delay between being unfairly fired and receiving an apology for it. In 1968, IBM—a company that now covers its logo in a rainbow flag each June for Pride Month—fired Conway when she expressed her intention to transition. She died on June 9, 2024 at age 86. IBM eventually apologized to the now-famous computing expert, but only 52 years later, when Conway was 82 years old.