Susan Wojcicki, technology pioneer who led Google’s YouTube acquisition, dies at 56

Susan Wojcicki, former Google executive and former YouTube commander, has died at the age of 56.

The leader in the death of online technology was announced on Facebook by her husband Dennis Troper yesterday. Wojcicki’s death follows a two-year battle with non-small cell lung cancer, as well as the death of her son, Marco Troperearlier this year.

“My beloved wife of 26 years and mother of our five children left us today after living for two years with non-small cell lung cancer,” Troper said. “Susan was not only my best friend and partner in life, but a brilliant mind, a loving mother, and a dear friend to so many. Her impact on our family and the world was immeasurable. We are saddened, but grateful for the time we had with her. Please keep our family in your thoughts as we navigate this difficult time.”

Wojcicki began her career at Google in 1999, making her the company’s 16th employee. She famously rented out her garage to co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin to serve as office space in Google’s early days, before eventually taking over as the head of Google Video in the 2000s.

Wojcicki was undeniably instrumental in helping Google get off the ground, but you probably know her best as the head of YouTube. She was named CEO in 2014 after helping to acquire the mega-ton video platform for $1.65 billion in late 2006. From that point on, Wojcicki has largely been seen as the face of YouTube, even going so far as to appear in videos with creators to discuss how YouTube planned to get through a tumultuous period in the late 2010s. As such, many content creators and tech industry titans, like Apple’s Tim Cook, author and YouTuber John Green, Seán McLoughlin (Jacksepticeye), and more, have taken to sharing their condolences online.

It’s really sad to hear this news @SusanWojcicki passing away. She took on one of THE most stressful positions and handled it with grace and vision and was incredibly graceful behind the scenes in ways most people never get to see. Cancer sucks. photo.twitter.com/mgOs9E4pHk

— Marquis Brownlee (@MKBHD) August 10, 2024

I am devastated to hear that former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has passed away. She was (very quietly) the largest donor to our project to support maternal health in Sierra Leone. She never asked for recognition or attention for her donations, she only supported our project in secret…

— 🐢🐢🐢John Green🐢🐢🐢 (@johngreen) August 10, 2024

Really sad to hear the news of Susan Wojcicki passing. She was always incredibly sweet and kind whenever I met her. She always listened to Youtubers concerns for the platform and seemed to really care.

— Jacksepticeye (@Jacksepticeye) August 10, 2024

Wojcicki has stepped down as a YouTube actress in 2023, attributing her new path to a desire to focus on her “family, health, and personal projects that I’m passionate about.” In short, Google and YouTube wouldn’t be what they are today without Wojcicki. Current Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai spoke about her death in a message on X/Twitterin which he described the influential Google executive as “an incredible person, leader and friend who has had a tremendous impact on the world.” He expanded on his thoughts in a message sent to employees yesterday.

“I feel so fortunate to have worked so closely with Susan for so many years, as I’m sure many of you do too — she was absolutely beloved by her teams here,” Pichai said. “Her time on Earth was far too short, but she made every minute count.”

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor at IGN. He began writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Make sure to follow him on Twitter @MikeCripe.