Susan Wojcicki, the former CEO of YouTube, died at 56
What Susan Wojcicki has Done for Google and Why She Has Done For Herself: A Memory Memo Memo Memorino
Wojcicki found herself hanging out with the young founders and became fascinated by the rise of the search startup. She soon joined it herself, about the time the 15-person company moved out of her house and into an actual office, over a bicycle shop in Palo Alto. In 2002, she took over the Google advertising arm, eventually heading a multibillion-dollar business that transformed the entire industry. She became CEO of the company’s video product, YouTube, in 2014, running one of the world’s biggest media properties, navigating it through challenges with social networks and crises of content moderation. She didn’t have much to say when she left the company in February 2023 because she wanted to start a new chapter focused on her family, health and personal projects.
The structure of the world seems to be inevitable, but what Susan built and what other people have created is very special and head and shoulders above what others have created. I’m so sad to have lost her,” Hank Green wrote on X.
Google, Susan Wojcicki and How I Met Your Mother, Susan, and I’m So Glad You’ve Been There – As Susan Did you Know?
Wojcicki, born in Santa Clara, Calif., grew up on Stanford University’s campus, where her father was a physicist. There, she developed a passion for changing the world. Anne and Janet, her two younger sisters, also went on to become powerhouses in their fields.
It had been before the arrival of Schmidt that Google had been steering towards profitability. “There was a transition where we realized that we could make a lot more money from the advertising, as opposed to syndicating search on the web,” she told me in 2008, in an interview for my history of the company.
Finding information, telling stories and supporting creators, artists and small businesses were some of the goals that I wanted to achieve with each challenge. I’m so proud of everything we’ve achieved. She said in a post that it’s been exciting,Meaning and All-Consuming.
I will never forget the kindness she gave me as a prospective Noogler 20 years ago. During my Google interview she took me out for an ice cream and a walk around campus. I was sold – on Google and Susan,” he said in a statement.
Her captivating graduation speech was a hot topic in the late 70’s and 80’s. There, she thought about her career and opportunities.
A Teaser for the Future: Remembering Neal Mohan, the Head of YouTube, on Saturday, September 17, 2009, in Sierra Leone
In a nice little box with a yellow bow on top, is a very rare opportunity presented to you. Good opportunities are not easy to recognize and are messy. They’re not safe. They challenge you.”
On Saturday, the head of YouTube, Neal Mohan, who assumed the role after Wojcicki, wrote on X that YouTube lost “a teammate, mentor, and friend. … I am forever grateful for her friendship and guidance. I will miss her tremendously. My heart goes out to her family and loved ones.”
Marc Benioff, CEO and co-founder of Salesforce, described Wojcicki — who was on Salesforce’s board — as a trailblazer and an example of great leadership. “She had a remarkable ability to lead with grace and vision, lighting up every interaction with her wisdom and warmth. Her kind heart, wise counsel, and philanthropic spirit touched countless lives,” he said on X.
John Green said, “She was (very quietly) the single biggest donor to our project supporting maternal health in Sierra Leone. She didn’t solicit credit or attention for her gifts, she simply supported our project. An outstanding leader and person.
Troper-Wojcicki’s House: A Case Study in Google’s Early Effort to Buy a Baby’s Room
In Google’s infancy the house belonged to a young couple, Dennis Troper and Susan Wojcicki, who had recently purchased it for $615,000. They were paid $1,700 a month to rent unused space so the mortgage wouldn’t be as bad. “They entered through the garage,” Wojcicki later told me. They couldn’t enter the front door.