A research study by The National Center for Women & Information Technology showed that “gender diversity has specific benefits in technology settings,” which could explain why tech companies have started to invest in initiatives that aim to boost the number of female applicants, recruit them in a more effective way, retain them for longer, and give them the opportunity to advance. But is it enough?

Four years ago, we launched a diversity series aimed at bringing the most inspirational and powerful women in the tech scene to your attention. Today, we’d like you to meet Alexandra Kubiak, General Manager of Startpage.

Today's Woman in Tech: Alexandra Kubiak, General Manager of Startpage

Alexandra Kubiak has experience in data privacy, search engines, SEM, adtech, and e-commerce. She is specializing in high-pressure environments, proposing creative and flexible solutions, large-scale operations, and detailed technical planning.

Alexandra has a strong technical background with a BSE in Computer Science from Princeton University.

When did you become interested in technology? What first got you interested in tech?

My interests have always leaned towards STEM - as a kid I loved science-based puzzles and crafts, and always looked forward to lab in school. I even took organic chemistry as an elective senior year of college for fun.

Let's talk about your background. How did you end up in your career path? What obstacles did you have to overcome?

I originally pursued a chemical engineering degree at Princeton, but had to take a computer science class as a prerequisite. I was immediately drawn in by that field - I love problem solving and I enjoyed learning how to think in this new manner to solve CS problems.

It wasn’t an easy transition, however - I switched majors fairly late in the game, and quickly realized that a lot of my new classmates had been programming for years and had way more experience than I. So I often felt like I was playing a game of catch-up. I made it through though!

After college, I worked on the email development team at TechStyle, a ecommerce fashion tech company. That’s where I decided to transition into product management, as I realized I enjoyed the intersection between learning the technical side of a product, but also strategizing and engaging with business teams to advocate for your product.

I then spent several years in the product world, ending up as the product lead of Startpage, and ultimately transitioning to my current role, General Manager of Startpage (but secretly still very product-focused).

Did you receive support from your family and friends? Do you have a role model?

Definitely! My family has always been very tech-savvy, whether it be the first to get dial-up, an Apple computer, or even a private search engine like Startpage!

I’ve been lucky enough to work with many inspiring people in my career so far - early on at Princeton I was awed to get the opportunity to learn from Brian Kernighan, one of the creators of Unix, and since then I’ve had some wonderful managers and mentors who have indisputably helped me grow in my career.

Did someone ever try to stop you from learning and advancing in your professional life?

Any negative experience I’ve had with less-than-supportive people has been overshadowed by the many people I’ve been fortunate to work for, who (so refreshingly) wanted me to succeed and grow, and who I could count on to give me honest feedback and genuine praise.

I’ve had some wonderful managers and mentors who have indisputably helped me grow in my career.

A day in Alexandra's life

Currently, I'm the General Manager of Startpage, a privacy technology company running the world’s first and most private search engine. My day is generally scattered between discussing UX research with the designers, strategizing creative privacy tech solutions with our unparalleled developers, and brainstorming growth angles with our awesome social media and marketing team, all while keeping in mind how these fit into the long term vision for Startpage… it definitely requires many hats, but I really enjoy it.

What are you most proud of in your career?

I can’t speak highly enough of the Startpage team and how much we’ve all grown in the past few years. I’m so grateful to get to witness the leaps and bounds our search engine has made in its UI/UX, to watch engineers come up with wildly creative solutions, to hear teammates presenting wins to the company, and to sign partnerships we never thought possible.

Why aren't there more women in tech? What's your take on that?

Even today, many products are still not really created or advertised for women. To illustrate, an interesting example is virtual reality. VR experiences depend on accurate portrayal of distance, for which the human brain can perceive in two ways: parallax and shape-from-shading. Men’s brains rely more heavily on parallax, and women's on shape-from-shading. Most VR environments are designed using parallax, and as a result we’ve seen that women are greatly more susceptible to nausea in VR than men.

This all goes to say, when products like these are so clearly designed by men, for men, it’s less appealing for women to want to join these companies and change the tide. It takes time, but I believe things are slowly shifting in the right direction.

Could you name a few challenges (or obstacles) women in tech face?

The environment in tech definitely seems to have shifted in a positive direction even in the last 5 years, but it’s common to feel that women still need to “prove themselves” in a tech setting more than men. I believe companies can combat this top-down by promoting and hiring women into tech leadership roles.

Oh, and ask for forgiveness, not permission.

Would our world be different if more women worked in STEM? What would be the (social, economic and cultural) impact?

Undoubtedly! At a minimum you open up such a wealth of new perspectives when researching and creating products. And the same goes for racial, ethnic, sexual diversity - I can’t understate how important it is to see more demographics represented in tech. Diverse viewpoints will result in new products accessible to and designed for more people.

What advice (and tips) would you give to women who want a tech career? What should they know about this industry?

Surround yourself with supportive people who want to elevate you and everyone around them. This often means gravitating towards companies with not only like-minded people, but also a leadership team who truly cares about and uplifts their employees.

Oh, and ask for forgiveness, not permission. Think, what would a man do?