Dame Steve Shirley, UK tech pioneer, dies at 91

Technology Aug 11, 2025

Dame Stephanie "Steve" Shirley, a trailblazer in tech and champion for women's rights, has died at 91.
Escaping Nazi Germany as a child refugee, she went on to launch Freelance Programmers in 1962—a company that flipped the script by hiring mostly women and making space for flexible work in a male-dominated industry.

Legacy of gender equality in tech

Shirley's company (later called FI Group) hired 297 women out of its first 300 employees—pretty bold for the time.
Her success led to a £150 million fortune, most of which she donated to autism support and IT projects, inspired by her son Giles.
Her legacy lives on through her impact on gender equality in tech and better support for people with autism.