Susan Wojcicki, once a key figure in Google’s history, died after a two-year battle with cancer, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai informed on Saturday.
Wojcicki played a foundational role in shaping YouTube’s trajectory.
“Unbelievably saddened by the loss of my dear friend @SusanWojcicki after two years of living with cancer. She is as core to the history of Google as anyone, and it’s hard to imagine the world without her,” Mr Pichai posted on X social media platform.
Mr Pichai said she was an incredible person, leader and friend who had a tremendous impact on the world.
“I am one of countless Googlers who is better for knowing her. We will miss her dearly. Our thoughts with her family. RIP Susan,” the Google CEO posted.
She was one of Google’s earliest employees and had received a ‘Google Founders Award’ for making AdSense, which helped tremendously in Google’s advertising.
Her tenure as CEO of YouTube saw the platform’s growth into a global powerhouse, impacting millions of content creators and billions of viewers.
Wojcicki’s legacy is not only in the products sector she helped develop but also in her advocacy for women in tech, making her a role model for aspiring leaders worldwide.
Indian-American Neal Mohan was appointed the new YouTube CEO after Wojcicki in February 2023 announced to step down after 25 years at the Google-owned company.
Wojcicki managed marketing, co-created Google Image Search, led Google’s first Video and Book search, as well as early parts of AdSense’s creation, worked on the YouTube and DoubleClick acquisitions and served as SVP of Ads.
