From hacker to Valve and back again

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Flame-throwing race car driver, circuit board hacker, computer store chain founder, toymaker, game tweaker, car builder: Before co-founding her own augmented reality headset company, Jeri Ellsworth was a technology chameleon, finding niches in electronics and mechanics, mastering them and helping redefine how they worked.

Without formal training, without a high school diploma, Ellsworth MacGyvered her way through childhood and into an industry not only reluctant to welcome women, but not really designed for an autodidact.

Today, Ellsworth is known as a preeminent classic hacker, modding and brute-forcing her way to success. And as CastAR co-founder, she’s also one of two innovators fueling what may be the first release of a major consumer-friendly augmented reality headset.

With the consumer release of a new CastAR headset less than a year away, I sat down with Ellsworth to chat about the company and how she came to help launch it.

Continuing reading my deep dive into the amazing world of Jeri Ellsworth at Polygon, where this story originally ran on April 12, 2017.