James Governor's Monkchips

This woman really is demolishing the cult of youth in tech

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Having written a post recently about ageism in tech that got a lot of attention I found the news today from Apple’s WWDC to be nothing less than delightful. Apologies to Fortune, but I am going to quote from Leena Rao’s excellent story extensively, and I also borrowed the picture above.

Diversity scholarships are one of the best things you can do in running a conference, and Apple really nailed it here.

“Retired banker Masako Wakamiya was frustrated by the lack of mobile games that catered to the elderly, who have a tougher time keeping up with the action-packed games that are popular with teens. So the 82-year-old from Japan started taking online tutorials to learn how to write software code.

“I didn’t see any apps for the elderly, so I decided to create my own,” Wakamiya told Fortune.

 Wakamiya, who first started using computers when she was 60-years-old, ultimately created a game in March that is based on the Japanese doll festival, Hinamatsuri, a holiday that celebrates the health and well-being of girls. And to appeal to older players, its pace is slow and its narrator speaks slowly.”
Any corporate program that celebrates and encourages 82 year women learning to code should be cherished, and of all of the news that came out of WWDC today, this was what I found most memorable. Of course it’s a PR win for Apple but that should not detract from the fact Wakayima took it upon herself to learn new skills to scratch an itch she has. More please Apple.

 

 

 

One comment

  1. You go Girl!

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