688: Susan Wojcicki
Former CEO of YouTube
Born: 5 July 1968, Santa Clara, California, United States of America
Died: 9 August 2024, Palo Alto, California, United States of America
Susan also helped found Google and was their first marketing manager. She was their sixteenth employee and it was her garage that served as their first headquarters.
Susan was involved with Google’s original video streaming service (Google Video) and proposed the acquisition of YouTube by Google in 2006.
She was a Harvard graduate who studied history and literature. Susan held two master’s degrees from other universities.
Susan was involved with crafting the original Google Doodles along with Google Images and Google Books. She was also involved in AdWords, Adsense, and other marketing projects.
In May of 2015, Forbes estimated Susan’s networth at $300 Million.
Susan was married and had five children. Her sister Anne is the CEO of 23andMe.
In February 2023, Susan announced she was stepping down as CEO of YouTube. She continued in an advisory position at both YouTube and Google/Alphabet until a full transition of power at the company was completed. She had worked with Google for twenty-five years, and had been CEO of YouTube for nine.
Susan was selected by Mattel to be featured as a Barbie doll in their Role Model series.
In February 2024, news broke that Susan's nineteen-year-old son Marco had passed away unexpectedly while attending college at UC Berkeley. While the official cause of death was not immediately available, his grandmother, Susan's mother, made public statements saying she believed Marco died from an accidental drug overdose.
The tragedy was not the only one the Wojcicki family would face in 2024. In August of that same year, Susan also passed away after a two year battle with cancer. She was fifty-six years old.
Badges Earned:
Find a Grave Marked
Sources:
https://www.forbes.com/profile/susan-wojcicki/#e4957453ae33
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Susan-Wojcicki
https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-wojcicki-b136a99/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Wojcicki#Personal_life
https://blog.youtube/inside-youtube/a-personal-update-from-susan/
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/02/youtube-ceo-susan-wojcicki-is-stepping-down-after-9-years/
https://nypost.com/2024/02/20/us-news/tributes-pour-in-for-son-of-former-youtube-ceo-susan-wojcicki/
https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/national-international/youtube-ceo-susan-wojcicki-dies/3388746/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/273445140/susan-diane-wojcicki