Susan Wojcicki, the former CEO of YouTube and a pivotal figure in the early days of Google, has passed away at the age of 56 after a courageous two-year battle with lung cancer.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and its parent company, Alphabet, expressed his profound sadness, noting that Wojcicki was “as core to the history of Google as anyone.” She played a crucial role in the company’s origins, famously renting her garage in Menlo Park to Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page in 1998.
Transitioning from a career at Intel, Wojcicki became Google’s 16th employee. Her leadership extended to YouTube, where she served as CEO for nine years, stepping down in 2023 to prioritize her family and health.
Wojcicki’s presence in the tech industry as one of the few women in senior roles marked her commitment to fostering diversity. In a 2013 interview, she highlighted the lack of women in tech, noting that only about 20% hold positions in the field and stressing the need for encouraging girls to pursue technical degrees.
Her tenure at YouTube was not without challenges. The platform faced criticism regarding its handling of online disinformation, particularly during the Covid pandemic. In 2022, several fact-checking organizations identified YouTube as a major source of misinformation globally.
In a statement announcing her death, her husband, Dennis Troper, conveyed deep sorrow, stating, “My beloved wife of 26 years and mother to our five children left us today after two years of living with non-small-cell lung cancer.” Wojcicki’s legacy as a leader and advocate for women in technology will be remembered.
