Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, a tech pioneer and one of Google’s earliest employees, has passed away at the age of 56 after a two-year battle with lung cancer, as confirmed by her husband.
“It is with profound sadness that I share the news of Susan Wojcicki passing. My beloved wife of 26 years and mother to our five children left us today after 2 years of living with non-small cell lung cancer,” Dennis Troper wrote in a Facebook post.
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Troper said Wojcicki 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,” Troper said. “Please keep our family in your thoughts as we navigate this difficult time.”
Wojcicki, a leading figure among women in Silicon Valley, was deeply involved with Google from its inception, when its founders initially developed the search engine in her garage in California. She joined Google as its 16th employee and spent nearly 25 years with the company.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai extended his condolences in a post on X early Saturday, describing Wojcicki as “core” to Google’s history.
“She was an incredible person, leader and friend who had a tremendous impact on the world and I’m one of countless Googlers who is better for knowing her. We will miss her dearly,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said on X.
Wojcicki served as YouTube’s CEO for nine years before announcing in a blog post last year that she would be “stepping back” to focus on her family, health, and personal passions, as reported by CNN.
During her tenure, she guided YouTube through the significant shift towards social media while also navigating the growing scrutiny of online platforms regarding the spread of misinformation, hate speech, and other harmful content.
“I’m so proud of everything we’ve achieved,” Wojcicki wrote when announcing she was stepping down in 2023. “It’s been exhilarating, meaningful, and all-consuming.”
