The tech industry is mourning the loss of Susan Wojcicki, the former CEO of YouTube and one of Google’s earliest employees, who has passed away at the age of 56 after a two-year battle with lung cancer.
Google’s chief executive, Sundar Pichai, announced the sad news on Twitter, expressing his deep sadness at the passing of Ms. Wojcicki. He described her as “as core to the history of Google as anyone”, highlighting her significant contributions to the company.
Ms. Wojcicki played a pivotal role in Google’s early days, renting out her Menlo Park garage to the search engine firm’s founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, in 1998. She later joined Google as its 16th employee, eventually leading YouTube for nine years before stepping down in 2023 to focus on her family, health, and personal projects.
As one of the few women in senior leadership roles in the tech industry, Ms. Wojcicki was a trailblazer who advocated for more diversity and inclusion in the field. She was passionate about encouraging girls to pursue careers in technology, recognizing the importance of digital influence in the future.
Despite her accomplishments, Ms. Wojcicki’s tenure at YouTube was not without controversy, as the platform faced criticism for its handling of online disinformation, particularly during the Covid pandemic. In 2022, fact-checking organizations accused YouTube of being a major conduit for misinformation worldwide.
Ms. Wojcicki’s husband, Dennis Troper, shared the heartbreaking news of her passing, revealing that she had been battling non-small-cell lung cancer for the past two years. The tech industry and beyond are mourning the loss of a visionary leader who made a lasting impact on the world of technology.
