Marian Croak, who has 200 patents to her name including the technology behind Zoom, became one of the first Black women to be inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame

Mon, 03/13/2023 - 08:55

Marian Croak speaking at a Google AI event — Marian Croak is now vice president of engineering at Google and leads the Research Center for Responsible AI and Human Centered Technology.
John Minchillo/AP

Marian Croak became one of the first two Black women to be inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame.
Her innovations in internet technology have enabled remote work, text donations, and voting for American Idol.
Croak is also an advocate for racial justice and gender representation in STEM.

When Marian Croak was just five or six years old, she grew enchanted with electricians and plumbers who came to fix broken wires and pipes at her home. She followed them around to see how things were done, peppering them with questions.