What does it actually take to walk into rooms where no one looks like you and not just survive them, but change them? Dr. Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne's story begins in Cameroon and leads all the way to the highest levels of Silicon Valley tech leadership, and the lessons she's learned along the way will change how you think about your own journey.
Topics covered:
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Growing up in Cameroon, community, and the moment an aunt told her "girls don't go to the moon"
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Working full-time at minimum wage while carrying a 26-unit course load to graduate as valedictorian
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Failing her PhD prelim at UC Berkeley, imposter syndrome, and the mentor who told her "I believe in you"
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Becoming the first African-born woman to earn a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley
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Her PURPOSE framework and the biblical story of Esther behind her memoir's title
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Balancing rapid AI innovation with empathy, ethics, and inclusion of global voices in tech
Guest bio: Dr. Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne is a global technology executive, product strategist, and award-winning author whose 15+ year career spans Meta, Amazon, Yahoo, Roku, McAfee, and Intel. Her memoir, For Such a Time as This (https://www.forsuchatimebook.com/) , chronicles her journey from Cameroon to Silicon Valley leadership.
Timestamps:
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00:00 — Cold open
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00:47 — Welcome and guest introduction
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01:02 — Redefining success: growing up in Cameroon
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04:46 — Coming to the US with $15,000 and a dream
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10:11 — Barriers at UC Berkeley and imposter syndrome
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15:38 — Failing the prelim, and the professor who changed everything
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17:25 — Becoming the first African woman to earn this PhD
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20:19 — The courage to write a memoir
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21:41 — The story of Esther and "for such a time as this"
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29:43 — AI, speed, and the ethics gap in Silicon Valley
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39:26 — Where to find Marie-Ange and her book
Find Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-ange-eyoum-tagne/ Book, For Such a Time as This: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FDJDBGQG Website: https://www.forsuchatimebook.com/
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