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Q&A with Helen Greiner
Did you get much encouragement when you were growing up?I was hacking away on computers, and I was on the school math and chess teams. It is still a surprise to me that I wasn't encouraged. People just didn't think about women going into technology.
Why was it so hard to find funding for the business?
When we tried to explain the Roomba to venture capitalists, we'd say it means a person doesn't have to vacuum. But some of them didn't know people still did vacuum! But take our products to any chief household officer (i.e., woman), and the only question is, Does it really work?
Are you still involved in engineering?
Yes, but on a different level than when I started. Then, I'd sneak into the MIT shop and machine the parts. When I walk into the machine shop here at iRobot, they take the parts out of my hands. As chairman, I make sure we're always thinking about what's next. You can't do that when you're getting your hands dirty every day.
Is money important to you?
Life's much better than when I was funding the company on my credit cards, but I live in the same house. I drive the car I got well before we went public in 2005.
Do you think of yourself as a geek?
I don't think of horn-rimmed glasses and lab coats. A geek is someone who can get totally involved in what she's doing, who wants to understand how things work.
What do you do for fun?
I try to learn a new sport every year. This year it's kiteboarding. Last year I did wakeboarding; before that, kayaking and snowboarding.
What did you call your first personal Roomba?
Arnie, after the Terminator.
Will robots ever be smarter than people?
No. Robots are like computers. They can never aspire to the creativity and ingenuity of the human mind. Robots just push ideas forward.
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