World Congress 2023 β€’ Oct 6, 2023

Breaking the bias in Tech

Anna John

Anna John proves that refusing to accept rejection is the ultimate antidote to tech industry bias. Discover her actionable blueprint for overcoming imposter syndrome and leading engineering at N26.

Pause
Mute Enter Fullscreen
#1 about 3 min

Overcoming age and background to study engineering

Making a successful career change to computer engineering at age 32 demonstrates that prior knowledge is not a prerequisite.

#2 about 1 min

Encountering and overcoming early career bias

Using biased remarks from male colleagues as motivation rather than a deterrent builds resilience in early tech roles.

#3 about 2 min

Navigating the transition to engineering management

Overcoming pushback regarding technical skills enables a successful pivot from backend development to engineering leadership.

#4 about 2 min

Setting workplace boundaries through leadership mentorship

Working with external leadership mentors helps prioritize tasks and teaches professionals how to say no when feeling overwhelmed.

#5 about 4 min

Speaking up for career opportunities and fair compensation

Advocating for equal salaries and professional growth requires taking responsibility to build a strong personal value case.

#6 about 3 min

Improving gender diversity in engineering teams

Increasing female representation happens by actively involving women in technical interviews and hosting informal meet-and-greet sessions.

#7 about 3 min

Fostering inclusive environments with mentorship programs

Implementing structured support systems and personal recognition files combats imposter syndrome and builds trust among colleagues.

#8 about 2 min

Evaluating team bias using the walk of privilege

Utilizing the walk of privilege exercise uncovers unconscious biases and acknowledges differing societal advantages within a team architecture.

#9 about 2 min

Summarizing strategies for successful career progression

Consolidating essential advice on finding passion, seeking mentors, and demanding fair compensation establishes pathways for sustainable team retention.

#10 about 2 min

Inspiring younger generations into creative engineering roles

Redefining programming as a collaborative problem-solving discipline helps attract younger diverse talent during university outreach events.

#11 about 2 min

Escalating team concerns safely and anonymously via HR

Leveraging human resources partnerships allows team leads to surface critical feedback securely when individuals fear management retaliation.

#12 about 1 min

Encouraging male participation in workplace diversity discussions

Emphasizing the active participation of dominant demographic groups ensures broader organizational support for vital workplace inclusion initiatives.

Matching moments

4:30 min

Overcoming engineered biases to achieve equal technology representation

Brenda Romero Brenda Romero Β· LIVE

4:07 min

Overcoming visibility challenges for women in tech

Teena Idnani Β· LIVE

6:47 min

Navigating gender dynamics and career progression in tech

Joana Simoes Β· LIVE

3:25 min

Q&A: Role models and navigating male-dominated environments

Carly Richmond Carly Richmond Β· LIVE

3:09 min

Diverse management representation and underrepresented groups in tech

Eleanor Rumsey Β· LIVE

8:04 min

Pushing for female representation and leadership in technology

Katja TrΓ€umner

Upcoming sessions on this topic

Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

Culture Doesn't Scale Itself: Leading Engineering Teams Through Hypergrowth and the AI Transition

Thanos Baskous

VP of Engineering and Co-founder of Cogent Security

Thanos Baskous
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

The path to Staff Engineer and beyond - staying on the IC train

Graham Gilbert

Senior Staff Engineer at Airbnb

Graham Gilbert
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

The Broken Rung: How AI is Rebuilding Software Development from the Ground Up

Tomislav Tipurić

Chief Technology Officer, Nephos

Tomislav Tipurić
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

Building the AI Era Through Developer Communities: A Competitive Advantage for Engineers & Teams

John Komarnicki

National Executive Advisor at Code & Coffee | Engineering & AI Community Leader

John Komarnicki
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

GitHub’s Team X-Ray: Your Repository Knows More About Your Team Than Your Team Does

Andrea Griffiths

Senior Developer Advocate

Andrea Griffiths
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

Engineering the Pivot: How Creative Strategy Solves the Hard Problems of AI Accuracy and Scale

Shruti Tiwari

AI/ML product manager, Dell

Shruti Tiwari