The passing of former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, who was a key early Google team member, has been announced at the age of 56, as confirmed by her husband Dennis Troper and Google CEO Sundar Pichai in online posts on Friday evening.
Wojcicki helmed YouTube for close to a decade and stood as one of the few female CEOs within Silicon Valley’s tech sphere.
During her tenure as CEO of YouTube, Wojcicki oversaw an era of significant growth for the platform, propelling it to become the largest video platform globally. Presently, YouTube boasts over 2.5 billion monthly active users, with more than 500 hours of content being added to the platform every minute, as reported by the company.
Wojcicki, aged 56, assumed the role of YouTube CEO in 2014, departing from her position in February 2023 with plans to continue collaborating with YouTube teams, mentoring members, and engaging with content creators.
She was a pivotal figure in molding Google from its early days into a tech behemoth and is recognized for steering the development of some of its most successful products.
Upon joining Google in 1999 as the company’s 16th employee, Wojcicki spearheaded the creation and advancement of Google’s advertising and analytics tools for 14 years. She played a vital role in shaping Google’s advertising sector, including her involvement in the inception of AdSense, one of the company’s standout products.
In 2006, she championed Google’s acquisition of YouTube for $1.65 billion.
The news of her demise sparked an outpouring of condolences from various tech and venture capital figures on Friday night.
“Susan had a significant impact on everyone at Google and touched the lives of so many,” expressed Google chief scientist Jeff Dean on social media Friday night.
“I am devastated by the loss of my esteemed colleague and friend @SusanWojcicki,” shared former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg on social media. “As a groundbreaking female leader in tech—the first to helm a major firm—she dedicated herself to broadening opportunities for women all across Silicon Valley.”
“Her legacy endures in everything she contributed to at Google and YouTube,” remarked current YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, reflecting on Wojcicki’s influence.
