Behind every FaceTime call, Zoom meeting, and late-night voice note is a piece of technology most people never think twice about—but it didn’t just appear out of nowhere. A Black woman whose work quietly transformed how the modern digital world connects, is finally getting her long-overdue recognition. As Women’s History Month shines a light on the women who’ve shaped history, her story stands as a powerful reminder that some of the biggest architects of our digital lives have too often gone unrecognized.
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The Root caught up with Dr. Marian Rogers Croak, a trailblazer for women—and Black people everywhere in STEM—who skyrocketed from AT&T/Bell Labs to pioneering patents in Voice over IP (VoIP) and now leads Google’s work in human-centered AI and machine learning. And while she’s long preferred to stay in the background and let her work speak for itself, her new Google documentary “The Art of Possible” offered a rare chance to step into the spotlight on her own terms—this time, to tell her story in her own voice.
‘The Art of Possible’
“When the team first approached me with this idea, I was a bit hesitant,” Dr. Croak told The Root. “What really moved me was the opportunity to tell my story by using these new creative tools to visualize moments that were never captured on film—especially the memories of my father and our family home. It wasn’t about the technology for the sake of it; it was about using these tools to bring pieces of my journey to life.”
The process behind the head-turning documentary “The Art of Possible” was deeply personal for Dr. Croak. More than a retelling of her career, she described the process as a chance to reconnect with the curiosity and influences that first set her on this path—tracing all the way back to her childhood love of chemistry. A love her father was proud to allow her to explore, even when things didn’t go as planned.
“Filming was a deeply personal renaissance for me because many of my most formative moments happened away from cameras,” Dr. Croak told The Root. “We used Google’s AI tools to recreate ‘abstract memories’—like the fire I started with my childhood chemistry set. Seeing my father enacted through AI was incredibly moving. It reminded me that my sense of curiosity was a gift from him. He never discouraged my experiments, even when they went wrong; he just wanted to know what I had learned.”
Black folks have long been a major force behind life-changing inventions, from Garrett Morgan’s traffic signal, per the U.S. Department of Transportation, to Marie Van Brittan Brown’s home security system, per the Wireless Infrastructure Association, to Dr. Marian Croak’s role in modern digital communication as we know it. That said, America’s long history of overlooking and undervaluing Black innovation remains all too familiar.
Still, Dr. Croak sees her impact through a different and more impactful lens.
“I look at it a little differently,” she said. “I’ve never measured my career by public recognition; I measure it by the intimate, one-on-one connections technology enables. Whether it’s someone being able to video call a loved one or a young researcher I’m mentoring today, those are the moments that feel like the real story to me.
Dr. Croak’s Message to Black Women
As we continue to highlight Women’s History Month, Dr. Marian Croak is a major inspiration to Black girls all around the world.
After retiring from AT&T/Bell Labs, where she served as Senior Vice President overseeing advanced research and innovation and helped design the world’s largest wireless and broadband networks, Croak joined Google in late 2014. Over her career, she has managed more than 2,000 world-class engineers and computer scientists and holds over 200 patents, primarily in IP and VoIP technologies. Her groundbreaking work earned her numerous accolades, including the 2013 and 2014 Edison Patent Awards, and induction into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame in 2013.
Beyond these achievements, Croak’s contributions have been recognized by some of the most prestigious institutions in science and engineering. She has been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has also been selected to receive the 2026 IEEE Founders Medal for her technical and managerial leadership in implementing packet voice networking and her efforts to promote participation in STEM, solidifying her legacy as one of the most influential figures in modern technology.
For young Black women watching “The Art of Possible,” Dr. Marian Croak hopes they take away a simple but powerful truth: their dreams can “impact the lives of millions.”
“Be bold, trust your instincts, and don’t be afraid to be the outlier in the room. Most importantly, I want them to inherit the belief that they can change the world for the better. Anything is possible if you keep asking ‘why,’” she concluded.
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