Dr. Fred Brooks is a pioneer in the field of computing. He discusses his life and work in this interview.

He discusses the IBM 360 project in the 60s. It was the largest bet by a private company in history. Called the Five Billion Dollar Gamble by Fortune Magazine, Dr. Brooks managed the software for the program. His famous “Brooks Law” resulted from this work.

Brooks Law stipulates that adding manpower to a late-stage software project makes it later.

Later, he set up the Department of Computer Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Brooks concludes the interview by discussing his view on the future of computers and artificial intelligence.

Dr. Brooks, a graduate of Duke University with a PhD from Harvard, is a winner of the Turning Award and the National Medal of Technology.