X

International Women's Day: Meet 43 women changing the world and inspiring CNET

For International Women's Day on March 8, we applaud the women who have moved us with their work, their outreach and their voices.

Caitlin Petrakovitz Director of audience
Caitlin Petrakovitz studies the Marvel Cinematic Universe like it's a course in school, with an emphasis on the Infinity Saga years. As an audience expert, she rarely writes but when she does it's most certainly about Star Trek, Marvel, DC, Westworld, San Diego Comic-Con and great streaming properties. Or soccer, that's a thing she loves, too.
See full bio
Connie Guglielmo SVP, AI Edit Strategy
Connie Guglielmo is a senior vice president focused on AI edit strategy for CNET, a Red Ventures company. Previously, she was editor in chief of CNET, overseeing an award-winning team of reporters, editors and photojournalists producing original content about what's new, different and worth your attention. A veteran business-tech journalist, she's worked at MacWeek, Wired, Upside, Interactive Week, Bloomberg News and Forbes covering Apple and the big tech companies. She covets her original nail from the HP garage, a Mac the Knife mug from MacWEEK, her pre-Version 1.0 iPod, a desk chair from Next Computer and a tie-dyed BMUG T-shirt. She believes facts matter.
Expertise I've been fortunate to work my entire career in Silicon Valley, from the early days of the Mac to the boom/bust dot-com era to the current age of the internet, and interviewed notable executives including Steve Jobs. Credentials
  • Member of the board, UCLA Daily Bruin Alumni Network; advisory board, Center for Ethical Leadership in the Media
See full bio
Caitlin Petrakovitz
Connie Guglielmo
2 min read
Composite by Aaron Robinson

It has been a year filled with a renewed focus on female-empowerment and women speaking out. So for International Women's Day, we asked our team to call out the women who inspire them.

"Being a woman in tech is not easy," nominee Padmasree Warrior says. "Women often feel more pressure to prove themselves every step of the way."

While CNET is focused on the representation and roles of women in tech, this list acknowledges women across disciplines. Each woman featured in our first-ever Inspiring Women list was nominated by a staff member, leading to a diverse list of strong women who have made a difference in their field, from a founding member of #TimesUp to a former federal prosecutor, to a model empowering girls through coding.

This week, Mattel introduced 14 Shero dolls, one-of-a-kind likenesses of women who inspire people around the world. (Sadly, these aren't available for purchase.) Mattel also introduced three Inspiring Women dolls: aviator Amelia Earhart, artist Frida Kahlo and NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson (which you can preorder right now).

All our nominees deserve their own doll, having influenced the fields they work in. We appreciate every person who motivates us. But today, we'd like to give a special shout out to those women who break down barriers, raise up their voices and never take no for an answer. Each and everyone of them is worth knowing and we hope you'll be as inspired by them as we are.

Here are the women who inspire us on International Women's Day

+40 More
See all photos

Solving for XX: In the tech industry , it's not women who are the problem.

11 female-led movies on Netflix: This Women's History Month, feel empowered even while you're watching Netflix.