In February 2023, Susan Wojcicki shared a personal update on stepping back from her role as CEO of YouTube, after 25 years with Google.
Wojcicki said, “Twenty-five years ago I made the decision to join a couple of Stanford graduate students who were building a new search engine. Their names were Larry and Sergey. I saw the potential of what they were building, which was incredibly exciting, and although the company had only a few users and no revenue, I decided to join the team.”
“It would be one of the best decisions of my life,” she added.
On August 10, 2024, Susan Wojcicki passed away at age 56 after a two-year long battle with cancer. Wojcicki has five children.
Read: Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki dies at 56; Wojcicki was Google’s first marketing exec
Wojcicki was CEO of Alphabet subsidiary YouTube from 2014 until early 2023. She was also a key part of the iconic big tech company’s history. Google cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page rented Wojcicki’s garage in Menlo Park, California and developed Google’s search engine there in 1998. The following year Wojcicki was hired as Google’s employee number 16 and as the search engine’s first marketing executive.
Wojcicki’s sister Anne Wojcicki, co-founder of DNA testing company 23AndMe, was married to Sergey Brin for eight years, until mid-2015.
Over her 25 years at Google, Susan Wojcicki managed marketing, co-created Google Image Search, led Google’s first Video and Book search, as well as early parts of AdSense’s creation, worked on the YouTube and DoubleClick acquisitions, served as SVP of Ads, and nine years as the CEO of YouTube.
She said in 2023, “I took on each challenge that came my way because it had a mission that benefited so many people’s lives around the world: finding information, telling stories and supporting creators, artists, and small businesses. I’m so proud of everything we’ve achieved. It’s been exhilarating, meaningful, and all-consuming.”
On her decision to step back, Wojcicki said, “I’ve decided to step back from my role as the head of YouTube and start a new chapter focused on my family, health, and personal projects I’m passionate about.”
“The time is right for me, and I feel able to do this because we have an incredible leadership team in place at YouTube. When I joined YouTube nine years ago, one of my first priorities was bringing in an incredible leadership team. Neal Mohan was one of those leaders, and he’ll be the SVP and new head of YouTube… Neal will be a terrific leader for YouTube.”
Neal Mohan is the current CEO of YouTube.
Before Google, Wojcicki worked in tech major Intel’s marketing department and as a management consultant at Bain & Company.
Wojcicki ended her note she sent to YouTube employees in February 2023: “I want to thank Sundar for his leadership, support and vision over the years. I also want to thank Larry and Sergey for inviting me on what has truly been the adventure of a lifetime. I always dreamed of working for a company with a mission that could change the world for the better. Thanks to you and your vision, I got the chance to live that dream. It has been an absolute privilege to be a part of it, and I’m excited for what’s next. Thank you for everything.”