Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, who was additionally some of the influential early Google staff, has died on the age of 56 in line with posts shared on-line by her husband Dennis Troper and Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Friday night time.
Wojicki led YouTube for practically ten years and was one of many solely girls to carry the CEO function at a giant tech firm in Silicon Valley.
Wojcicki’s husband Dennis Troper wrote on Fb early Friday night time, “It’s with profound disappointment that I share the information of Susan Wojcicki passing. My beloved spouse of 26 years and mom to our 5 youngsters left us right this moment after 2 years of dwelling with non-small cell lung most cancers.”
Pichai confirmed the dying and most cancers situation in a submit on social media Friday, writing that he was “unbelievably saddened” by the loss.
In a word despatched to staff, Pichai described Wojcicki as “some of the lively and vibrant individuals I’ve ever met. Her loss is devastating for all of us who know and love her, for the hundreds of Googlers she led over time, and for tens of millions of individuals everywhere in the world who regarded as much as her, benefited from her advocacy and management, and felt the influence of the unbelievable issues she created at Google, YouTube, and past.
“Susan’s journey, from the storage she rented to Larry and Sergey … to main groups throughout shopper merchandise and constructing our Advertisements enterprise … to changing into the CEO of YouTube, one of many world’s most vital platforms, is inspiring by any measure. However she did not cease there. As one of many earliest Googlers — and the primary to take maternity depart — Susan used her place to construct a greater office for everybody. And within the years that adopted, her advocacy round parental depart set a brand new commonplace for companies all over the place. Susan was additionally deeply keen about training. She realized early on that YouTube might be a studying platform for the world and championed ‘edutubers’ — particularly those that prolonged the attain of STEM training to underserved communities.”
Wojcicki, 56, joined YouTube as CEO in 2014. She stepped down from her function in February 2023, saying she’d proceed working with YouTube groups, teaching members and assembly with creators.
She helped to construct Google from its earliest days right into a tech titan, and is credited with shepherding a few of its most profitable merchandise.
She let Google founders Larry Web page and Sergey Brin, work out of her Menlo Park, California, residence upon founding Google. Web page and Brin rented the storage area for $1,700 a month from her. Wojcicki was working within the advertising and marketing division at Intel on the time.
Upon becoming a member of Google in 1999 as the corporate’s sixteenth worker, Wojcicki oversaw the design and construct of Google’s promoting and analytics merchandise for 14 years. She performed a vital function in creating Google’s promoting enterprise, together with co-creating AdSense, one of many firm’s most profitable merchandise.
In 2006, she advocated for Google’s then-$1.65 billion acquisition of YouTube.
“The founders belief Susan possibly greater than anyone on the planet,” Patrick Keane, an early Google gross sales director, mentioned within the 2022 e-book “Like, Remark, Subscribe: Inside YouTube’s Chaotic Rise to World Domination.” “You might by no means get Susan rattled, regardless of how difficult the second was.”
“When individuals could not get him to see purpose, she all the time may,” mentioned former Google director and early Silicon Valley office influencer Kim Scott within the e-book as “a Larry whisperer,” referring to Google co-founder Larry Web page.
Throughout Wojcicki’s tenure as YouTube CEO, she oversaw the corporate’s fast growth, serving to flip it into the most important video platform on the planet. YouTube now has greater than 2.5 billion month-to-month lively customers and greater than 500 hours of content material are uploaded to the platform each minute, in line with the corporate.
The announcement of her dying led to an outpouring of condolences from a variety of tech and enterprise capital leaders on Friday night time.
“I had the nice fortune of assembly Susan 17 years in the past when she was the architect of the DoubleClick acquisition,” wrote present YouTube CEO Neal Mohan in a social media submit Friday night time. “Her legacy lives on in all the things she touched at Google and YouTube.”
“She taught me the enterprise and helped me navigate a rising, pretty chaotic group originally of my profession in tech,” mentioned former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg in a social media submit. “As some of the necessary girls leaders in tech — the primary to steer a significant firm— she was dedicated to increasing alternatives for girls all through Silicon Valley. I do not imagine my profession can be what it is right this moment with out her unwavering help.”
“I’m deeply saddened by the passing of my pricey colleague and buddy @SusanWojcicki,” wrote Google chief scientist Jeff Dean on social media Friday night time. “She has had a profound affect on everybody at Google and impacted the lives of so many.”
