Susan Wojcicki was one of the most influential women in the tech industry and the former CEO of YouTube. She died on August 9, 2024, at the age of 56 due to lung cancer. She was battling non-small cell lung cancer for two years before her death.
Wojcicki served as CEO of YouTube from 2014 to 2023, and oversaw its massive growth to over 2 billion monthly active users. Under her leadership, YouTube solidified its position as the leading online video platform.
Wojcicki was also one of Google’s first employees, joining the company in 1999 as its 16th employee. She rented her garage to Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998 when they were developing the search engine. Wojcicki played a key role in developing Google’s advertising platforms AdWords and AdSense, which generate most of the company’s revenue. She helped turn Google into a powerful company in the advertising world. She has appeared on several lists such as Forbes’ Power Women and Self-Made Women of America. Her leadership and vision have had a major impact on the tech landscape.
Early Life and Education
Susan Wojcicki’s full name is Susan Diane Wojcicki. She was born on July 5, 1968 in Santa Clara County, California, U.S.A. Her father Stanley Wojcicki was a professor of physics at Stanford University and mother Esther Wojcicki was an American journalist.
Wojcicki’s maternal grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants, while her grandfather Franciszek Wojcicki was a Polish politician elected as MP in 1947. Her maternal grandmother Janina Wojcicki Hoskins was a Polish-American librarian at the Library of Congress. Wojcicki has two sisters: Janet, a doctor of anthropology and epidemiology, and Anne, the co-founder and CEO of 23andMe.
Wojcicki grew up on the Stanford campus and attended Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California, where she wrote for the school newspaper. At age 11, her first business venture was selling “spice ropes” door-to-door.
Wojcicki pursued higher education at Harvard University, where she earned a degree in history and literature in 1990. Initially, she aimed to pursue a PhD in economics, but shifted her focus to technology after taking her first computer science class in her senior year. She later earned a master’s degree in economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1993 and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management in 1998.
Career Highlights
Susan Wojcicki began her career as a photojournalist in India, where she worked for a while before returning to the United States. She then took a position in the marketing department at Intel, which provided her with valuable experience in the tech sector.
In 1998, Wojcicki made a crucial decision that changed the direction of her career: she rented out her garage to Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin for $1,700 a month. This act not only supported their fledgling company, but also marked the beginning of her deep involvement with Google. By 1999, Wojcicki was hired as Google’s 16th employee, where she took on the role of marketing manager. She played a key role in developing Google’s advertising and analytics products, including AdSense and Google Analytics, which became significant revenue drivers for the company.
Significant contributions
Wojcicki’s influence at Google grew as she led various initiatives, including the original video service and pushing for Google’s acquisition of YouTube in 2006 for $1.65 billion – a deal she strongly advocated for. The acquisition was a pivotal moment in both her career and the growth of online video content. In 2014, she was appointed CEO of YouTube and held that position until she resigned in February 2023, although she remained in an advisory capacity. Under her leadership, YouTube grew to over 2 billion users per month and over 500 hours of video uploaded every minute.
Achievements
- Ranked #1 on Vanity Fair’s New Establishment list in 2019
- Ranked #7 on Forbes’ list of the 100 most powerful women in the world in 2018
- Ranked #10 on Fortune’s list of the most powerful women in 2018
- Ranked #32 on Forbes’ list of America’s Self-Made Women in 2023
Personal life and death
Susan Wojcicki married Google director Dennis Troper in 1998. They have five children. Wojcicki’s son Marco died in February 2024 at the age of 19 due to acute combined drug toxicity.
Wojcicki was married to Dennis Troper for 26 years. Wojcicki died on August 9, 2024, after battling non-small cell lung cancer. Her death was paid tribute by various stalwarts in the tech community, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who expressed his deep sorrow at her passing and highlighted her important role in the history of Google and YouTube. In his emotional message, he described Wojcicki as not only his beloved wife but also a brilliant mind and loving mother, emphasising her profound impact on her family and the world.
Net worth
Currently, Susan Wojcicki’s net worth is estimated to be around $580 million at the time of her death. In 2022, Wojcicki’s net worth was estimated to be $765 million. She was an influential woman in the tech industry.
Conclusion
Overall, Susan Wojcicki’s career has been as a leading figure in the tech industry. She gained fame across the country and the world through her work at Google and YouTube. She has always been a strong advocate for women in the tech sector. Wojcicki will always be remembered for her significant contributions to the tech industry.
