I’ve been working in the tech industry for the past 25 years, either within an IT department or as a technology writer. In that time period, I’ve seen a few tech stereotypes that often lead to misunderstandings, hurt feelings, poor work performance and even failed projects. They don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Yet, with a bit of effort and maybe some social pressure, we can abolish these stereotypes once and for all.

1. The geeky guy nerd

At SxSW earlier this year, one of the panel discussions really caught my attention. Megan Smith, the CTO of the US Government, who ended up on the cover of Wired, spoke about the bias in tech toward the tech nerd. She mentioned how TV shows for the last two decades have always shown a guy in the role wearing glasses and fixing a computer. That needs to change, she said, because it has led to fewer women seeking degrees in the tech industry. It has also led to fewer women in executive tech roles at companies of all sizes.

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