Former Youtube chief executive officer and longtime Google executive Susan Wojcicki has died at age 56, according to her husband.
“My beloved wife of 26 years and mother to our five children left us today after 2 years of living with non small cell lung cancer,” Dennis Troper said in a social media post late Friday.
“Susan was not just my best friend and partner in life, but a brilliant mind, a loving mother, and a dear friend to many,” Troper said.
No other details of her death were immediately provided.
Wojcicki, who played a key role in Google’s creation, stepped down as YouTube’s CEO in 2023 after spending nine years running the video site that reshaped entertainment, culture and politics.
Shortly after Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin incorporated their search engine into a business in 1998, Wojcicki rented the garage of her Menlo Park, California, home to them for $1,700 a month.
Wojcicki and Troper’s 19-year-old son, Marco Troper, died in February at the UC Berkely campus where he resided as a freshman student.
Former YouTube CEO and longtime Google executive Susan Wojcicki passed away at the age of 56, leaving behind a legacy of innovation and leadership in the tech industry. Wojcicki, who was one of the most powerful women in Silicon Valley, played a key role in the growth and success of YouTube during her tenure as CEO from 2014 to 2021.
Wojcicki joined Google in 1999 as its first marketing manager and quickly rose through the ranks to become one of the company’s most influential executives. In 2006, she proposed Google’s acquisition of YouTube, a move that turned out to be one of the most successful acquisitions in tech history. Under her leadership, YouTube grew into the world’s largest video-sharing platform, with over 2 billion monthly active users.
During her time as CEO, Wojcicki oversaw several major initiatives at YouTube, including the launch of YouTube Red (now known as YouTube Premium), the expansion of YouTube’s original content offerings, and the implementation of stricter policies to combat hate speech and misinformation on the platform. She was also instrumental in growing YouTube’s advertising business, which became a major revenue driver for Google.
Wojcicki was known for her strong leadership skills, strategic vision, and commitment to diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. She was a vocal advocate for women in tech and worked to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace at Google and YouTube. Her impact on the tech industry will be felt for years to come, as she paved the way for other women to succeed in leadership roles in Silicon Valley.
In a statement, Google CEO Sundar Pichai praised Wojcicki for her contributions to the company and the tech industry as a whole. “Susan was a true visionary and a trailblazer in the tech world,” he said. “Her leadership at YouTube transformed the platform into a global powerhouse and her impact on Google will be felt for generations to come. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.”
Wojcicki’s passing is a loss not only for Google and YouTube but for the entire tech industry. Her legacy of innovation, leadership, and advocacy for diversity and inclusion will continue to inspire future generations of tech leaders. She will be remembered as a pioneer who helped shape the digital landscape we know today.
