88-Year-Old Developer Grandma Who Even Surprised Tim Cook: "Too Precious to Spend Time Deciding, Just Do It" [Nihonjin Side]

The World's Oldest Professional Programmer Masako Wakamiya
Self-taught after buying a desktop at 59... Developed a smartphone app at 81

The era of an average lifespan of 100 years. Nowadays, no one lives off just one job for their entire life. In Japan, where the elderly population is larger than in South Korea, an 88-year-old programmer has become a hot topic. This person, who did not have programming as a lifelong career, started programming at 80 and even developed an application (app). She is also famous for surprising Apple CEO Tim Cook. She is Masako Wakamiya, born in 1935.

Today, we share the story of her challenge, advising, "In the 100-year era, don’t worry too much about deciding what you want to do?just try it first."

Apple CEO Tim Cook (right) conversing with Ms. Masako Wakamiya. (Photo by NHK)

Masako Wakamiya started programming at 80 and rose to stardom by completing the development of a smartphone game app. Although more elderly people were buying smartphones, there were hardly any apps for them to enjoy, so she released a game app specifically for seniors. Since swipe or slide gestures are difficult for elderly users, the game was designed to be played using only taps.

This news reached CEO Tim Cook, who invited her to Silicon Valley for a special event. He personally asked Wakamiya why she decided to create the game. This is considered a remarkable event in Silicon Valley, a city symbolizing young developers.

Wakamiya was not originally a developer. In her youth, computers did not even exist. After graduating from high school, she worked at a large bank. However, she struggled with tasks like counting money and filling out documents. She was not good at using an abacus and often worked overtime alone. But seeing how mechanization simplified all these tasks gave her many insights. She felt, "No matter how talented a person is, they cannot count money faster than a machine. Human abilities change with the times."

After realizing this, she immediately applied to transfer to the planning and development department, and unusually for a high school graduate woman at the time, she was promoted to a managerial position.

Mr. Wakamiya being interviewed. (Photo by NHK)

Her interest in IT began when she was almost in her 60s. At 58, just before retirement, she bought a computer. She calls it an "impulse purchase." Despite people around her telling her she should spend that money on a wardrobe or a kimono, she bought the computer and started self-study. Later, as she cared for her mother and went out less, her social relationships weakened, so she created an internet cafe exclusively for seniors to make friends through PC communication.

This led her to become deeply interested in programming. She even invented "Excel Art," making paper bags, bookmarks, and book covers by using Excel’s ability to set cell borders and fill cell colors. Microsoft praised her as "the pioneer of a new way to use Excel."

At 81, she began developing smartphone apps for the first time. With no programming knowledge, she started by thoroughly reading beginner books. When she encountered parts she couldn’t understand, she asked the authors questions and got advice from programmers introduced by acquaintances. Within six months of starting programming, she developed a game called "Hinadan" for elderly users. The game involves correctly arranging Hina Matsuri dolls on a platform used during a Japanese festival. This achievement earned her the reputation of "the world’s oldest programmer."

However, she strongly dislikes the media’s description of her as "self-taught in programming." She feels that calling it self-study implies a huge, determined effort to start, which is misleading.

Mr. Wakamiya showcasing Excel art on his laptop. (Photo by NHK)

When asked where such academic passion comes from, she replied, "If I were doing something like bungee jumping at this age, it would require determination, but programming doesn’t kill anyone. If I don’t like it, I can stop, and I’m not bothering anyone. So why would trying something require courage and determination?" This response also became a topic of discussion.

Nowadays, although Japan has many elderly people, digitalization is slow. She is busy giving lectures promoting familiarity with smartphones and computers among seniors. She continues developing apps. Starting with one PC, she now uses a desktop, a laptop, and an Apple Mac at home. She also uses an iPhone and Apple Watch in sync.

In an era where the average lifespan exceeds 100 years, Wakamiya says there are so many things one can do that even 100 years feels short. She advises, "If life is 100 years, you can experience many things. You just need to decide to try. I can change, the world can change, and companies can change."