On Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, and a visionary of Silicon Valley’s Tim Cook: A Memoir with Tim Cook
Apple CEO Tim Cook also mourned Wojcicki’s passing. “She was one of Silicon Valley’s visionaries and she will be missed by so many. He wrote on X that she should rest in peace.
People feel like the world is going to end, but it is built by people, with Susan’s quiet leadership in a ridiculously complex environment showing how special that is. I’m so sad to have lost her,” Hank Green wrote on X.
Her father was a physicist and she was born in Santa Clara, Calif. There, she developed a passion for innovation and making a difference in the world. (Her two younger sisters, Anne and Janet, also went on to become powerhouses in their own respective fields.)
When it was a small startup, she played a major role in the purchase of YouTube by the company. She was appointed as YouTube’s CEO in 2014, and has been leading its growth for the past decade. She oversaw the platform as they wrestled with hate speech, misinformation and inappropriate content.
Susan Wojcicki: A Silicon Valley Visionary and YouTuber Who Dies at 56 – A Memories of a GREAT ‘Noogler’
It was a mission of mine that helped so many people around the world, finding information, telling stories and supporting small businesses. I’m so proud of everything we’ve achieved. It’s been exhilarating, meaningful, and all-consuming,” she said in a blog post.
“I’ll never forget her kindness to me as a prospective ‘Noogler’ 20 years ago. She took me for an ice cream and a walk after my interview on the campus. I was sold – on Google and Susan,” he said in a statement.
Wojcicki was also known for her compelling graduation speech at John Hopkins University in 2014. She was able to look at her career and opportunities.
She claimed that most opportunities were presented in a nice little box with a yellow bow on top. “Opportunities, the good ones, are hard to understand and messy.” They’re risky in some respects. They challenge you.”
Source: Susan Wojcicki, former YouTube CEO and Silicon Valley visionary, dies at 56
The YouTubers Legacy: Memories of a Pioneer, a Hero, and a Mentor: Neal Mohan, the Head of YouTube
On Saturday, the head of YouTube, Neal Mohan, who assumed the role after Wojcicki, wrote on X that YouTube lost “a teammate, mentor, and friend. … I am eternally grateful for her friendship and guidance. I will miss her tremendously. My heart goes out to her family and loved ones.”
Benioff described Wojcicki as an example of great leadership and a pioneer. She had a remarkable ability to illuminate every interaction with her wisdom and warmth. He said her kind heart, wise counsel, and philanthropic spirit touched many lives.
John Green said, “she was the biggest donor to our project and she was very quiet.” She never once asked for credit or attention for her gifts–just privately supported our project and many others. An exceptional leader.
The unassuming house on Santa Margarita Avenue in Menlo Park, California, had been empty for only a couple of years when I visited in 2008, but the ghosts were still there. There was a decade before Larry Page and Sergey Brin started the search engine. Here was the garage once packed with newly delivered servers and routers; there were the carpeted rooms at the back of the house where Page, Brin, and their first employee, Craig Silverstein, churned out code; out the window was the backyard with the hot tub.
