Longtime Google executive and former YouTube commander Susan Wojcicki has passed away at 56.
The leader in online tech’s death was announced on Facebook by her husband Dennis Troper yesterday. Wojcicki’s passing follows a two-year battle with non-small cell lung cancer, as well as the death of her son, Marco Troper, earlier this year.
“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,” Troper said. “Susan was not just my best friend and partner in life, but a brilliant mind, a loving mother, and a dear friend to many. Her impact on our family and the world was immeasurable. We are heartbroken, but grateful for the time we had with her. Please keep our family in your thoughts as we navigate this difficult time.”
Wojcicki got her start with Google in 1999, making her the company’s 16th employee. She famously rented out her garage to co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin to serve as office space in Google’s early days before eventually leading the charge on Google Video in the 2000s.
Wojcicki was undeniably instrumental in helping Google get off the ground, but most likely know her as the head of YouTube. She was named its CEO in 2014 after helping engineer the acquisition of the mega-ton video platform for $1.65 billion in late 2006. From there, Wojcicki was largely seen as the face of YouTube, going as far as to appear in videos with creators to discuss how YouTube planned to emerge through a tumultuous period in the late 2010s. As such, many content creators and tech industry giants, such as Apple’s Tim Cook, author and YouTuber John Green, Seán McLoughlin (Jacksepticeye), and more, have started sharing their condolences online.
Wojcicki stepped down from her role at YouTube in 2023, attributing her new path to a desire to focus on her “family, health, and personal projects I’m passionate about.” Plainly said, Google and YouTube would not be what they are today without Wojcicki. Current Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai spoke about her death in a post on X/Twitter, calling the influential Google exec “an incredible person, leader, and friend who had a tremendous impact on the world.” He expanded on his thoughts in a message sent to employees yesterday.
“I feel so fortunate to have spent so many years working with Susan closely, as I’m sure many of you do — she was absolutely loved by her teams here,” Pichai said. “Her time on earth was far too short, but she made every minute count.”
