"It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission." - Grace Murray Hopper

It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission." These were the words of Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, a pioneering computer scientist whose career was built on challenging the status quo and championing innovation.

For decades, the tech industry has echoed this sentiment, often attributing it directly to Hopper as a piece of career advice. It suggests a pragmatic approach to problem-solving and initiative: rather than getting bogged down in lengthy requests for approval, it's sometimes faster and more productive to forge ahead and address any consequences afterward. Hopper's own life and groundbreaking work in computer science strongly support this philosophy.

A naval officer who later became a professor at Harvard and a key figure at IBM, Hopper was instrumental in the development of early programming languages and compilers, which translated human-readable code into machine instructions. Her work on the UNIVAC I was particularly significant as one of the first commercial computers. She famously advocated for machine-independent programming, breaking down the barriers that made early computers incredibly difficult to program. According to accounts, she sometimes bypassed established procedures, demonstrating a hands-on approach that directly led her team towards solutions. Her persistence in developing compilers, despite potential hurdles, required a leap beyond existing permissions or consensus. The idea that asking for forgiveness could sometimes be simpler than asking for permission encapsulated her belief in driving technological progress through decisive action and calculated risk-taking, even within large corporations and government institutions. This spirit of initiative, encouraged by her own example, has become legendary in the world of software development and engineering, fostering an environment where bold ideas can be explored and implemented.