Since taking over her current position as the CEO of YouTube in February 2014, Susan Wojcicki has taken outspoken stances on a number of sociopolitical issues. Her support of federally-mandated paid maternity leave for all new mothers in the US has made headlines.
One of the other topics she discusses vociferously is the presence of women in the tech industry, and by promoting a new documentary, she is looking to inspire women to get coding. Until November 5th, YouTube has made Codegirl–a documentary about female coders–available for free.
Codegirl is directed by Lesley Chilcott, who is best known for teaming with Davis Guggenheim on award-winning documentaries like An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting For Superman, and It Might Get Loud. This time, Chilcott focuses on an international coding competition from Technovation, through which 5,000 girls were given an opportunity to design a new app and win $10,000. Codegirl follows a handful of the contestants as they progress through the competition.
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By distributing Codegirl, YouTube (and, by extension, Google) is continuing its crusade in support of women in tech. Its Made with Code initiative is intended to support women who are passionate about programming and technology. “Our goal is to inspire as many students as possible during this special five-day free viewing period before it hits theaters,” wrote Wojcicki in a blog post introducing Codegirl. “With your help, we’ll be able to inspire more girls around the world to pursue their passions in tech.” If you’re on board with Wojcicki’s mission, you can check out Codegirl on its official YouTube channel.
