Susan Wojcicki, a longtime Google employee who spent nearly a decade as YouTube’s CEO, died Friday after a two-year battle with non-small cell lung cancer.
Wojcicki, 56, famously rented out her Menlo Park garage to Larry Page and Sergey Brin when they started Google. She went on to become one of the company’s first 20 employees and took over as YouTube’s CEO in 2014, before stepping down last year.
Once upon a time her husband Dennis Trooper And the CEO of Google Sundar Pichai After the news broke Friday night, Vojsky’s colleagues and friends began posting their memories and reflections. We’ve collected some of their posts here; we’ll update as more are published.
Marc Benioff (Co-Founder and CEO of Salesforce):
Tim Cook (Apple CEO):
Neil Mohan (CEO of YouTube):
Melinda French Gates (Mohsen):
John Green (Writer and YouTuber):
I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki. She was (quietly) the largest donor to our maternal health project in Sierra Leone. She never asked for any recognition or attention in return for her gifts – she just privately supported our project and many others. She is an extraordinary leader and person.
Hank Green (Writer and YouTuber):
Susan stepped down just a year ago after leading YouTube for ten very difficult and stressful years. I got to know her well during that time and found her to be incredibly thoughtful but also surprisingly kind considering how strong she was. It’s so sad…
Diane von Furstenberg (stylist):
RIP my dear Susan Wojcicki, a devoted mother, sister, daughter, and friend… smart, thoughtful, funny… we will all miss you ❤️🙏❤️… A testament to our century, Google started in her garage… YouTube flourished under her leadership… She fought for her life and finally went to join her beloved son Marco! The world wouldn’t be the same without you… RIP ❤️❤️❤️
Kara Swisher (Journalist):
She was a true treasure in Silicon Valley, a kind, warm, loving woman who led with integrity, and was also a wonderful mother of five.
Marquis Brownlee (YouTube):
Emily Chang (Journalist):
Ron Conway (Venture Capitalist):
Alex Winter (Director of the movie “The YouTube Effect”):
God bless Susan Wojcicki. I interviewed her for our YouTube documentary, and found her to be intelligent, kind, empathetic, and willing to listen to and reflect on some of the harsh criticisms of the platform.
Matt Ross (Former YouTube CEO and Founder of Day2 Health):
What sad news. Susan was a wonderful leader but she led with compassion and kindness. She was so kind to me when I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and found time to check in with me. She didn’t always love the creative work I was doing. But she had an amazing ability to say no to work she didn’t love without making you feel like a complete idiot. I wish her family a long life.
Ellen K. Bao (The project includes the CEO and former CEO of Reddit):
Katie Jacobs Stanton (Venture Capitalist):
“Web maven. Infuriatingly humble beer geek. Bacon fanatic. Typical creator. Music expert.”
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