OLPC CTO flies the coop

THE CTO of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, Mary Lou Jepson, has left the non-profit to commercialise technology she developed there.

Jepson oversaw development of the inexpensive hardware packaging and innovative display technology for the low-power XO laptop that OLPC will donate to children in Third World countries. One of the $200 laptop's key features that she developed is its power-saving screen display that - unlike that of much more expensive laptops - can be easily read in bright sunlight.

Since OLPC's product design and development cycle is complete and the XO laptops are now being manufactured in volume, she believes it's an appropriate time to pursue "her next miracle in display technology."

"I believe that the work I led in the design of the XO laptop is just the first step in changing computing," Jepson wrote in an email. She plans to start her own company.

Her last day at OLPC was December 31st, which was also the end of OLPC's $400 "get one, give one" programme, but she will continue to consult with OLPC. µ

L'INQ
ComputerWorld