Heidi Williams: “History Repeating”

Stayin' Alive in Tech

In the mid-1990s, when Heidi Williams got her first job in Silicon Valley coding and developing software, she was not unlike most anyone else starting their career: she simply wanted to put her skills to work. But this is the world of tech, where evolution is rapid and industry-shifting changes can occur in the middle of your lunch hour.

As you’ll hear, Heidi would end up “riding the wave from CD-ROMs to the web, to mobile, and to live video streaming” while working at some of the biggest and most prolific tech companies in the world.

This journey has given Heidi a profound experience with shifting sands after years of stability—whether it’s your company being acquired by a competitor, foundational technology behind most of your company’s products suddenly rendered obsolete, or dealing with the complexities of a company going from 500 employees to over 5,000 practically overnight.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

MUSICAL INSPIRATION FOR THIS EPISODE ON SPOTIFY:

“History Repeating” by Shirley Bassey

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Stayin' Alive in Tech is an oral history of Silicon Valley and technology. Melinda Byerley, the host, is a 20-year veteran of Silicon Valley and the founder of Fiddlehead, a digital marketing intelligence firm based in San Francisco.

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