12 Famous Software Engineers

Software engineering is one of the most popular career choices today. It is the proof of why engineers in this field are in high demand in the market. Of course, becoming famous as a software engineer is a challenging task.

This article will introduce 13 brilliant names in software engineering and the exciting stories behind their careers. So, let’s dive into this post for more details!

1. Bill Gates

Bill Gates

Bill Gates is famous as a programmer. He is known as the co-founded to make Microsoft. This product played an essential role in revolutionizing software.

He invested in charity funds to quickly solve social and environmental problems.

2. Jack Dorsey

Jack Dorsey

Jack Dorsey is an excellent American businessman and a famous coder. He has made significant contributions to the development of the tech market. One of his most iconic inventions is Twitter.

Now, he is also the chief executive officer of this app. Besides, he was involved in founding a company with outstanding mobile payments called Square.

3. Steve McConnell

Steve McConnell

Steve McConnell is an author known for many great software books like Code Complete and A Roadmap for Software Leaders. His advice on technical apps has helped many freshers find the right career path.

More than 10 years ago, he owned his company, Construx Software.

4. Michael Widenius

Michael Widenius

If you want to become a software engineer, improving your skill set in the open-source MySQL system is vital.

Now, this data set has many versions, improved and upgraded based on the first version created by Michael Widenius.

This product has brought him many great boons. After that, he received the software award in 2003 and was in the top 10 in 2008.

5. Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg

Referring to American entrepreneurs, ignoring the name Mark Zuckerberg is hard. He has opened up a method to build friendships on social networks. Thanks to Facebook, people can connect anywhere or anytime with the internet.

He is both the chairman and CEO as well as the main force behind the constant growth of this app.

6. Larry Page

Larry Page

Lawrence Edward Page was born in 1973 and is a famous American businessman. Also, he is a good scientist with ability and sharp thinking.

Together with Sergey Brin, he founded Google, a great platform that provides a lot of helpful information for people today.

In 2001, he stepped down as the platform’s chief executive officer. But about 10 years later, he decided to reprise his role and find ways to bring more advancements to Google regarding features.

In 2015 he became CEO of Alphabet, which was Google’s leading asset company. Through his efforts, he ranked 10th among billionaires in 2019.

7. Max Levchin

Max Levchin

Max Levchin is the man who created Gausebeck-Levchin, which was the first human trial of CAPTCHA. His outstanding achievements in the past still last to his name in the tech market.

In 2002, his PayPal product went public with a leading anti-fraud effort. This product has brought him about $34 million and more fame than ever.

In the following years, he also contributed significantly to running famous software. Slide, the sharing service on Facebook, Myspace, and many other prominent apps, are the best examples.

8. Ken Thompson

Ken Thompson

Thompson was one of the leading people in computer science. He created the UNIX operating system, which supports many smartphones, military systems, operating systems, and benign networks. Besides, he rewrote the UNIX program to C with Dennis Ritchie in 1973.

Thompson is also an expert in his computer security in protecting systems from the first known computer viruses. Accordingly, he received many grants for his commitment to computer science, including a Turing grant in 1983.

9. Linus Torvalds

Linus Torvalds

Linus Torvalds is a famous Finnish software engineer. He also created the Linux system, which has helped beginners handle many languages. Since its release, this product has become a vital backbone for Chrome, Linux OS, and Android.

In 2005, he created Git as a version control system. In 2011, he also had a helpful invention like Subsurface, free and open-source software for recording plans and logging scuba dives.

10. Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace is the world’s first female coder. She is also a talented English mathematician and writer.

At a young age, she published algorithms that computers could handle beyond numbers. Ada Lovelace was the one who first laid the base for the computers’ operability for purposes other than mere computation.

11. Alan Turing

Alan Turing

Like other famous software engineers, his skills are excellent. Besides, he was knowledgeable in math, logic, and philosophy.

Alan Turing created a machine that simulates algorithms computers can perform called Turing. During World War II, he contributed significantly to solving blocked ciphers with his AI knowledge and theory.

He was the first to create the World Wide Web, a system of linked hypertext. He later worked as an engineer at Plessey Telecommunications and wrote type-setting software.

In 1980, he joined the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland as a software engineer. In the following years, he proposed hypertext linked together over the internet.

12. Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is an American businessman and co-founder of Apple. Under Jobs’ leadership, Apple became one of the most profitable companies in technology. Jobs is famous for his ability to capture trends and steadfastness to high design standards.

One of Jobs’ most vital contributions was the Macintosh computer in 1984. It was the first version with an interface and a mouse, making it much easier for users to interact with their computers.

Conclusion

During the internet system formation, many software engineers are recognized worldwide. These software engineers can bring tremendous value to humans and open up new changes in the technology.

I hope my above sharing has helped you answer the question of who the most famous software developers are and what their contributions are.

Thanks for reading!