Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 27, 2026

Jen Fitzpatrick

Jennifer McGrath Fitzpatrick is an American engineer. One of the first female engineers at Google, she is currently the senior vice president for Google Core Systems & Experiences.

Last revised
Jun 27, 2026
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≈ 2 min
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Jen Fitzpatrick
Born1976 (age 49–50)
Alma materStanford University
OccupationEngineer
Years active1999 - Present
EmployerGoogle

Jennifer McGrath Fitzpatrick is an American engineer. One of the first female engineers at Google, she is currently the senior vice president for Google Core Systems & Experiences.1

Education

Fitzpatrick graduated from Stanford University in 1999. She earned a Bachelor of Science in symbolic systems,2 and a master's degree in Computer Science.3 She began using Google as a student,4 and joined the company's Summer Intern Program in 1999. She was one of four interns.5

Career

One of Google's first 30 employees,6 Fitzpatrick was hired by Google's founders following her internship, becoming one of Google's earliest female engineers.78 She reported to Marissa Mayer, who became her mentor. To improve gender diversity at Google, Fitzpatrick and Mayer insisted that at least one female executive interview every job candidate.910

Fitzpatrick has led software development for products and teams including AdWords, Google News, Google Maps, Product Search, corporate engineering and the Google Search Appliance, and co-founded Google's user experience, focusing on improving visibility across multiple products.811 She holds a US design patent for the iconic graphical user interface of the Google search engine home page.12

In 2014, she became the Vice President for Geo, leading Google Maps and Local.13 Under her leadership, Google Maps expanded beyond navigation, integrating real-time traffic, business info, and Street View improvements.13 She aimed to make Maps more than just a driving tool, focusing on daily-use cases such as finding restaurants and businesses.13

In 2020, she became the Senior Vice President for Core Systems & Experiences. She also serves as a Senior Advisor for CapitalG.14

References

References

  1. ""Jen Fitzpatrick"". Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  2. "The Growing Presence of Women in Engineering - UC Riverside". UC Riverside. 2018-03-14. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  3. "Meet ELLE's 2016 Women in Tech". ELLE. 2016-05-13. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  4. Patricia Sellers (10 September 2015). "Why Powerful Women Love Google—And Why They Leave It". Fortune.
  5. ""Google's Jen Fitzpatrick Is A Tech Pioneer Who Helps You Explore The World From Home"".
  6. Ken., Auletta (2010). Googled : the end of the world as we know it. New York, N.Y.: Penguin Books. ISBN 9780143118046. OCLC 515456623.
  7. Miller, Claire Cain. "In Google's Inner Circle, a Falling Number of Women". Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  8. McCracken, Harry (26 September 2018). "How I went from Google intern to the head of Google Maps". Fast Company. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  9. "Why Powerful Women Love Google, and Why They Leave It". Fortune. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  10. Efrati, Amir (2011-06-16). "Tech Executives See Paths for Women, Especially Geeks". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  11. "Almost half of Google's management team is made up of women — here they are". INSIDER. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  12. "Graphical user interface for a display screen of a communications terminal". patents.google.com.
  13. Goode, Lauren. "Google's Mapping Chief Says Maps' Future Goes Beyond Driving". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  14. "CapitalG Meet the Team". capitalg.com.