Wanjiku Kamau

I didn't plan to go into tech. I had graduated undergrad and applied to go into the military, but the Air Force wouldn't take me because I had a metal pin in my hip that was broken. So I thought, okay, what's Plan B? Law school. It was too late to really study for the LSAT, so I took it, didn't do well, and ended up getting into a lower-tiered law program. Because it was a nighttime program, I needed a daytime job where I could study and get paid. I applied to be a receptionist at Siemens Building Technologies, and after 2 years, I realized law school was not for me. But I liked what I was doing, and by then, I was no longer just the receptionist. I was accounts payable, I was accounts receivable, figuring out how to use technology to drive efficiency for the engineers. It wasn't like I walked in there thinking I was going to change the world. I walked in there hoping I'd get paid 15 bucks an hour. I always say I kind of walked into the back door of tech, and I've lived there ever since. I've always worked in and around tech, more specifically data center and cloud. After being laid off from Google in 2025, I had to make a conscious choice to learn AI and embrace it and get smart pretty quickly. That started my journey of learning the tools, using the tools, and very quickly writing a book. Now I consult with small business owners and coach people who are hesitant to use AI or just don't know where to begin. I started my own company so that I can consult, and no one's the barrier to me.

• Ethics in the Age of Generative AI certificate

• Undergraduate degree
• Masters of Business Administration (MBA)

• Author of Out of the Loop, Into the Algorithm: How I Finally Made Friends with AI

• OGC
• United Nations Association of New York

• Forte Foundation