Gina Trapani
Born 1975 · Age 50
American tech blogger, web developer, writer, and technology executive; founder of Lifehacker, co‑founder of ThinkUp, author, and technology leader (Postlight executive/CEO).
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Brooklyn, New York
Gina Marie Trapani born into an Italian Catholic family in Brooklyn, NY.
Began writing for New Youth Connections (YCteen)
Started writing in high school for New Youth Connections (now YCteen), a magazine by and for NYC teens published by Youth Communication.
Graduated from Marist College (estimated year)
Completed undergraduate studies at Marist College (year not specified in sources; estimated based on birth year).
Earned MS in Computer Science from Brooklyn College (estimated)
Completed a Master of Science in Computer Science at Brooklyn College (exact year not given; estimated).
Founded the Lifehacker blog
Launched Lifehacker (part of the Gawker Media network), focusing on productivity tips and 'life hacks'.
Wrote Lifehacker solo for first nine months
Lifehacker was written solely by Trapani for the first nine months after launch before associate editors were added.
Wired Rave Award
Received Wired magazine's Rave Award for contributions in tech/journalism.
Published book: Lifehacker: 88 Tech Tricks to Turbocharge Your Day
First Lifehacker book published by Wiley compiling tips from the site.
Speaker / presence at SXSW Interactive
Photographed/present at SXSWi 2007 (indicative of speaking/participation at major tech conference).
Published book: Upgrade Your Life
Released Upgrade Your Life: The Lifehacker Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, Better (Wiley).
Married Terra Bailey
Married longtime partner Terra Bailey on June 17, 2008.
Resigned as editor of Lifehacker
Stepped down from Lifehacker in January 2009 after leading the site since 2005.
Joined Expert Labs as Product Director
Left Lifehacker to join Expert Labs; led product development work there (role: product director).
Began developing ThinkUp (within Expert Labs)
Led development of ThinkUp, an open-source social media aggregation and analysis tool begun as a project in Expert Labs.
Fast Company: Most Influential Women in Technology (2009)
Named one of Fast Company's Most Influential Women in Technology for 2009.
Fast Company: Most Influential Women in Technology (2010)
Named again by Fast Company as one of the Most Influential Women in Technology for 2010.
Published: The Complete Guide to Google Wave
Authored a guide to Google Wave published by 3ones, Inc. (Wave later discontinued by Google).
ThinkUp spun out into a separate company (approx.)
ThinkUp began as an Expert Labs project and later became a standalone company (date not explicitly given; spin‑out estimated around 2010–2011).
Published: Lifehacker (with Adam Pash)
Coauthored Lifehacker: The Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, and Better (Wiley, 2011).
Expert Labs wound down (announced March 2012)
Anil Dash announced the end of Expert Labs in March 2012 after ThinkUp had demonstrated the concept.
Birth of daughter Etta Rebecca Bailey
Daughter Etta Rebecca Bailey born on September 18, 2012.
Launched/Co-hosted 'In Beta' podcast (launched 2012)
Co‑hosted In Beta, a podcast about open source web and mobile apps (In Beta launched in 2012).
Recorded residence in Brooklyn (Dec 2013)
Sources note that as of December 2013 Trapani lived in Brooklyn, NY.
Operates NarrowTheGap.co (site addressing gender pay gap)
Operates NarrowTheGap.co, a site presenting pay‑gap data from open data sources (exact launch date not specified).
Postlight: Director of Engineering (reported in some sources as 2016)
EBSCO/Written profiles indicate Trapani rose to Director of Engineering at Postlight around 2016 (some sources say 2017).
ThinkUp project shuttered
Anil Dash announced the end of ThinkUp in June 2016 and the project was shuttered.
Joined Postlight as partner / director (per LinkedIn reporting 2017)
Joined New York digital product firm Postlight; listed as Director of Engineering in 2017 per LinkedIn/Wikipedia.
Became Managing Partner at Postlight (reported)
According to profile summaries, she advanced to managing partner at Postlight in 2018.
Named among most powerful LGBTQ+ people in tech (Business Insider)
Included on Business Insider's 2019 list of the most powerful LGBTQ+ people in technology.
Reported progression to CEO of Postlight (date unspecified in sources)
Profiles state that Trapani 'is now CEO' of Postlight; an exact date is not given in the provided sources. (Event recorded as milestone in her executive career.)
Joined board of directors, Radiant Earth
Appointed to the board of directors for the nonprofit Radiant Earth (announced March 2023).
Profiled and summarized in research starter / bios
Major reference profiles (EBSCO/Research Starters and others) published summaries of her career through 2024.
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