Susan Wojcicki, a trailblazer within the tech trade who served as YouTube’s Chief Govt Officer (CEO) for practically 10 years, handed away on Friday (August 9). Information of her dying was confirmed by her husband, Dennis Troper, through social media. The reason for dying was non-small cell lung most cancers, which she had fought for 2 years. She was 56.
Troper wrote, “It’s with profound unhappiness that I share the information of Susan Wojcicki’s passing. My beloved spouse of 26 years and mom to our 5 youngsters left us at the moment after 2 years of residing with non-small cell lung most cancers. Susan was not simply my greatest buddy and associate in life however an excellent thoughts, a loving mom, and an expensive buddy to many. Her affect on our household and the world was immeasurable. We’re heartbroken however grateful for the time we had along with her. Please preserve our household in your ideas as we navigate this tough time.”
Wojcicki was born in Santa Clara, California, on July 5, 1968. Her father, Stanley Wojcicki, was a physics professor at Stanford and her mom, Esther Wojcicki, was a instructor. She graduated from Harvard in 1990 with a bachelor’s diploma in historical past and literature earlier than incomes a grasp’s in economics on the College of California, Santa Cruz in 1993. She obtained an MBA from the UCLA Anderson College of Administration in 1998. Wojcicki married Troper, who at the moment works at Google as a director of product administration, on Aug. 23, 1998.
Wojcicki joined Google in 1999 as one of many firm’s first 20 staff and performed an important function within the firm’s billion-dollar acquisition of YouTube in 2006. She grew to become YouTube’s CEO in 2014, overseeing the platform’s huge world enlargement, together with the introduction of YouTube TV and the event of Google’s picture search.
Beneath her management, YouTube landed licensing offers throughout the music trade and efficiently launched YouTube Music and YouTube Premium in 2018. Common Music Group’s (UMG) Sir Lucian Grainge personally congratulated Wojcicki when YouTube Music reached 50 million subscribers in 2021.
Wojcicki labored carefully with Robert Kyncl, now CEO of Warner Music Group, and performed an important function in bringing Lyor Cohen on board as International Head of Music at YouTube in 2016. At the moment, YouTube Music and YouTube Premium have over 100 million paying subscribers globally, making YouTube the second-largest industrial associate of music rightsholders. YouTube aspires to turn into the No.1 associate within the trade.
Tributes poured in from across the trade. You possibly can learn some under.
Melinda Gates through X: “Susan Wojcicki broke the mildew. She was a visionary chief who deliberately pried open doorways for the various younger ladies who’ve adopted her footsteps – and she or he stays a job mannequin for folks of all backgrounds who dream of careers in tech as significant and impactful as hers.”
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet: “Unbelievably saddened by the lack of my expensive buddy @SusanWojcicki after two years of residing with most cancers. She is as core to the historical past of Google as anybody, and it’s onerous to think about the world with out her. She was an unbelievable particular person, chief and buddy who had an incredible affect on the world, and I’m one in every of numerous Googlers who is best for figuring out her. We’ll miss her dearly. Our ideas along with her household. RIP Susan.”
Wojcicki is preceded in dying by her son Marco. She leaves behind her husband and 4 youngsters.
RIP.