Technical Manager (Female) - YouTube's longtime head of social media Susan Wojcicki has died.
Longtime YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, who played a pivotal role in Google's history on multiple occasions, has passed away at the age of 56. She had been battling lung cancer for the past two years, as announced by Google CEO Sundar Pichai in an email to employees following her death. Wojcicki stepped down from her role at the video platform last year to focus on her health.
As an Intel manager in 1998, she rented her garage to Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. She was one of the first employees of the company and was involved in the development of the ad system that generated Google's revenue. She is also credited with driving the acquisition of DoubleClick, which solidified Google's leading position in the U.S. online advertising market.
Years after the company's founding, Wojcicki oversaw Google's own video service and recommended the $1.65 billion acquisition of startup YouTube in 2006. Under Google's guidance, YouTube grew to become the world's largest video platform. Wojcicki then took the helm of YouTube in 2014.
In his email, Pichai also recalled how Wojcicki lightened the mood during his job interview two decades ago by treating him to ice cream and giving him a tour of the Google campus.
The news of Susan Wojcicki's passing has sparked conversations on various online platforms, with many people expressing their condolences on The Internet. During her time at Google, Wojcicki played a significant role in the acquisition of YouTube, which transformed into a global phenomenon on The Internet.
