Susan Wojcicki is mourned by the tech community
Susan Wojcicki, a longtime Googler who spent nearly a decade as the CEO of YouTube, passed away Friday after a two-year battle with non-small cell lung cancer.
Wojcicki, who was 56, famously rented the garage of her Menlo Park home to Larry Page and Sergey Brin as they were starting Google. She was one of Google’s 20 first employees and took on the role as chief executive at YouTube in 2014. She stepped down from the position last year. We’ve gathered some of their posts here; we will update as more are published.
Marc Benioff (Salesforce co-founder and CEO):
Reflecting on the profound impact of my dear friend and Salesforce board member Susan Wojcicki. Susan Wojcicki was a trailblazer, a mother of excellence, and a beloved friend. We celebrated her success with many elegant and fun events for the family. She… pic.twitter.com/3JPbrAYkMC
— Marc Benioff (@Benioff) August 10, 2024
Tim Cook (Apple CEO):
Saddened to hear of the passing of Susan Wojcicki. She was a visionary in Silicon Valley and will be greatly missed. May she rest peacefully.
-Tim Cook (@tim_cook), August 10, 2024
Neal M. Mohan, CEO of YouTube:
Today, we lost @SusanWojcicki, a colleague, mentor and friend. I was fortunate to meet Susan 17 years back when she was the architect behind the DoubleClick purchase. Her legacy lives in all that she touched at @googleand @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 who opened doors for many young women to follow her. She remains a role-model for people from all backgrounds who want careers in tech that are as meaningful and impactful. I…
– — Melinda French Gates, (@melindagates), August 10, 2024
John Green (writer and YouTuber):
I’m heartbroken to learn that former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has died. She was the largest donor (very quietly) to our project supporting maternal healthcare in Sierra Leone. She did not seek credit for her donations, but instead supported many projects privately. An exceptional leader and person.
Hank Green (writer and YouTuber):
Susan stepped down from her role barely a year ago after leading youtube for nearly ten extremely complex and fraught years. This is so fucking sad…
Diane von Furstenberg (fashion designer):
Rest in Peace dear Susan Wojcicki, mother, sister and daughter. This is so fucking sad…
Diane von Furstenberg (fashion designer):
Rest in Peace dear Susan Wojcicki, mother, sister, daughter, loyal friend …Intelligent, thoughtful, funny … we will all miss you …witness to our century , Google started in her garage… YouTube blossomed under her leadership… She fought for her life and finally went to join her beloved son Marco ! The world will not be the same without …. Rest in Peace
Kara Swisher (journalist):
She was a true treasure in Silicon Valley, a kind, warm and loving woman who led with integrity, while also being a tremendous parent to five kids.
Marques Brownlee (YouTuber):
Really sad to hear the news of @SusanWojcicki passing. She handled one of the most stressful jobs with grace, vision and generosity behind the scenes. Cancer is a sucka. pic.twitter.com/mgOs9E4pHk
— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) August 10, 2024
Emily Chang (journalist):
I’m heartbroken to hear of the passing of Susan Wojcicki. I always looked up to her as a mother of five who also built and led massive products and teams — and appreciated her willingness to share how she did it including in this old interview from 2016.pic.twitter.com/xgSm4TlsQD
— Emily Chang (@emilychangtv) August 10, 2024
Ron Conway (venture capitalist):
The world has lost Susan Wojcicki, one of the biggest contributors to the tech community, but more importantly one of the kindest, thoughtful human beings in addition to being a great Mom. In her honor, let’s follow her example to make the world better.
-Ron Conway (@RonConway), August 10, 2024
Alex winter (director, “The YouTube Effect”) :
RIP Susan Wojcicki. I interviewed her for our YouTube doc, and I found her brilliant, gracious, compassionate, and willing to listen to and consider some intense criticism of the platform.
Matt Ross (former YouTube executive and founder of Day2 Health):
Such sad news. Susan was a great leader, but she also led with compassion. She was incredibly kind to me after I received my Parkinson’s diagnose and always found time to check up on me. She did not always appreciate the creative work that I submitted. She was able to reject the work she didn’t enjoy without making anyone feel stupid. I wish her family long life.
Ellen Pao (Project Include’s CEO, former Reddit’s CEO):
I was so saddened to hear of Susan Wojcicki. She was able to make significant changes in order to make YouTube safer and the internet more secure at a time where it was difficult to be a leader, let alone a woman. She responded to a note from my daughter to inspire her class. I have so much admiration for…
– — Ellen K. Pao, (@ekp), August 10, 2024
Katie Jacobs Stanton (venture capitalist):
I’m not sure I know any other leader in Silicon Valley more admired and beloved than Susan Wojcicki. She was a brilliant, thoughtful, and kind leader. She was a brilliant leader and I am so fortunate to have seen it first-hand. She set a standard that all working mothers should follow.
