Susan Wojcicki, Former YouTube CEO and Google Exec, Passes Away at 56

Susan Wojcicki, former CEO of YouTube and one of Google’s earliest employees, has died at the age of 56 following a two-year battle with cancer. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, announced her death, expressing his deep sorrow in a post on X, stating, “Unbelievably saddened by the loss of my dear friend @SusanWojcicki after two years of living with cancer.”

Pichai highlighted her integral role in Google’s history: “She is as core to the history of Google as anyone, and it’s hard to imagine the world without her. She was an incredible person, leader, and friend who had a tremendous impact on the world. I’m one of countless Googlers who is better for knowing her. We will miss her dearly. Our thoughts are with her family. RIP Susan.”

In February 2014, Wojcicki was appointed as YouTube’s CEO, underscoring the video platform’s significance to Google’s advertising empire. She held the CEO position until February 2023, after which she continued to serve as an adviser to the company.

Wojcicki’s journey with Google began in 1999 when she became the company’s 16th employee and first marketing executive. The company’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, initially operated Google from her garage in Menlo Park, California. Wojcicki played a crucial role in securing the company’s earliest deals for licensing search technology and spearheaded the development of Google’s image search.

Throughout her illustrious career at Google, Wojcicki managed product initiatives for AdSense, Google Book Search, and Google Video. She also oversaw the syndication of Google’s products. Before joining Google, Wojcicki accumulated experience at Intel, Bain & Co., and R.B. Webber & Co.