Anika Begay
Susan Wojcicki, a longtime Google employee who served as YouTube CEO for nearly a decade, died Friday after a two-year battle with non-small cell cancer.
Wojcicki, who was 56, famously rented the garage of her Menlo Park home to Larry Page and Sergey Brin when they were founding Google. She then became one of the company’s first 20 employees, taking over as YouTube’s CEO in 2014 before stepping down last year.
After husband Dennis Troper and Google CEO Sundar Pichai shared the news Friday night, Wojcicki’s colleagues, friends, and peers began posting their own remembrances and reflections. We’ve collected some of their posts here; we’ll update as more are posted.
Marc Benioff (co-founder and CEO of Salesforce):
Reflecting on the profound impact of my dear friend and Salesforce Board Member Susan Wojcicki. Susan was an industry pioneer, an exemplary mother, and a beloved friend. We shared so many fun family events and elegant programs to celebrate her incredible success. She… photo.twitter.com/3JPbrAYkMC
— Marc Benioff (@Benioff) August 10, 2024
Tim Cook (CEO of Apple):
Saddened to hear of the passing of Susan Wojcicki. She was one of Silicon Valley’s visionaries and will be missed by many. May she rest in peace.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) August 10, 2024
Neal Mohan (CEO of YouTube):
Today we @youtube I lost a teammate, a mentor and a friend, @SusanWojcicki. I was fortunate to meet Susan 17 years ago when she was the architect of the DoubleClick acquisition. Her legacy lives on in everything she touched. @google AND @youtube. I am
forever grateful for…— Neal Mohan (@nealmohan) August 10, 2024
Melinda French Gates (philanthropist):
Susan Wojcicki broke the mold. She was a visionary leader who intentionally opened doors for the many young women who followed in her footsteps, and she remains a role model for people of all backgrounds who dream of careers in technology as meaningful and impactful as hers. I…
— Melinda French Gates (@melindagates) August 10, 2024
John Green (writer and YouTuber):
I am saddened to hear that former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has passed away. She was (very quietly) the largest donor to our project supporting maternal health in Sierra Leone. She never asked for credit or attention for her gifts, only privately supported our project and many others. An exceptional leader and person.
Hank Green (writer and YouTuber):
Susan stepped down from her role just over a year ago, after nearly a decade of extremely complex and tense leadership at YouTube. I got to know her quite well during that time and found her to be incredibly thoughtful, but also surprisingly kind, considering how damn tough she was. It’s so fucking sad…
Diane von Furstenberg (fashion designer):
Rest in peace dear Susan Wojcicki, mother, sister, daughter, loyal friend… Smart, caring, funny… we will all miss you ❤️🙏❤️… witness of our century, Google was born in her garage… YouTube blossomed under her guidance… She fought for her life and eventually went to join her beloved son Marco! The world will not be the same without you… Rest in peace ❤️❤️❤️
Kara Swisher (journalist):
She was a true treasure in Silicon Valley, a kind, warm, and loving woman who led with integrity, and was also an amazing mother to five children.
Marques Brownlee (YouTuber):
I am really sorry to hear the news of @SusanWojcicki passing. She took one of the MOST stressful positions and handled it with grace and foresight and was incredibly gracious behind the scenes in ways most people never get to see. Cancer sucks. photo.twitter.com/mgOs9E4pHk
— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) August 10, 2024
Emily Chang (journalist):
I am saddened to hear of Susan Wojcicki’s passing. I have always admired her as a mother of five who also built and led huge products and teams, and I appreciated her willingness to share how she did it, even in this old interview from 2016.photo.twitter.com/xgSm4TlsQD
— Emily Chang (@emilychangtv) August 10, 2024
Ron Conway (venture capitalist):
The world has lost Susan Wojcicki, one of the tech community’s greatest contributors, but most importantly one of the kindest and most caring people, and an amazing mom. Let’s commit to following her example and making the world a better place in her honor.
— Ron Conway (@RonConway) August 10, 2024
Alex Winter (director, “The YouTube Effect”):
RIP Susan Wojcicki. I interviewed her for our YouTube documentary and found her to be brilliant, kind, compassionate, and willing to listen and consider some intense criticisms of the platform.
Matt Ross (former YouTube executive and founder of Day2 Health):
Such sad news. Susan was an incredible leader, but she led with compassion. She was so good to me when I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and made amazing time to check in on me. She didn’t always like the creative work I submitted. But she had an amazing ability to turn down work she didn’t like without making you feel like a complete idiot. I wish her family a long life.
