YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, who has led the world’s largest video web site for the final 9 years, is stepping down from her function. She’ll get replaced by Neal Mohan, her longtime lieutenant.
In a letter despatched to YouTube’s workers, Wojcicki stated she was leaving with a view to “begin a brand new chapter centered on my household, well being and private tasks I’m captivated with.”
Throughout her tenure, YouTube grew to become more and more vital to the enterprise for Google, which purchased the location in 2006, and Alphabet, the holding firm that homes each of them: In 2022, YouTube generated $29.2 billion in advert gross sales — greater than 10 % of Alphabet’s whole income.
Wojcicki’s departure additionally has significant symbolism for Google and tech typically. For years, she has been one of many only a few ladies to function an enormous tech enterprise. And she or he was an integral a part of Google’s founding — she famously rented out her Silicon Valley storage to co-founders Larry Web page and Sergey Brin in 1998, and joined the corporate as its sixteenth worker a yr later.
“Susan has a singular place in Google historical past and has made essentially the most unimaginable contribution to merchandise utilized by individuals in every single place,” Web page and Brin stated in an announcement. “We’re so grateful for all she’s accomplished during the last 25 years.”
Wojcicki began at Google working advertising and marketing, helped construct its on-line advert enterprise, and at one level ran the corporate’s video service that was making an attempt to compete with YouTube. She ended up arguing that Google can purchase the location as an alternative.
Throughout her tenure as YouTube’s chief, she made some extent of accelerating its accessibility to advertisers, whereas concurrently making an attempt to wrangle an infinite and unruly group of video creators that powered the location.
That periodically led to criticism from video makers, who stated YouTube’s rule modifications and moderation choices made it arduous for them to make a dwelling, and outsiders, who stated the corporate wasn’t taking a agency sufficient hand to discourage hate speech and different disagreeable content material. “We managed to upset all people,” Wojcicki informed me in a 2019 interview.
Wojcicki has spent years working intently with Mohan, her successor. The 2 of them first labored collectively constructing Google’s show promoting enterprise, and Mohan has been Wojcicki’s No. 2 at YouTube since 2015.
“Susan has constructed an distinctive group and has in Neal a successor who is able to hit the bottom working and lead YouTube via its subsequent decade of success,” Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai stated in an announcement.
Beneath is the total textual content of Wojcicki’s letter to her workers:
Topic: A private replace
Hello YouTubers,
Twenty-five years in the past I made the choice to hitch a few Stanford graduate college students who have been constructing a brand new search engine. Their names have been Larry and Sergey. I noticed the potential of what they have been constructing, which was extremely thrilling, and though the corporate had just a few customers and no income, I made a decision to hitch the group.
It could be probably the greatest choices of my life.
Over time, I’ve worn many hats and accomplished so many issues: managed advertising and marketing, co-created Google Picture Search, led Google’s first Video and E-book search, in addition to early components of AdSense’s creation, labored on the YouTube and DoubleClick acquisitions, served as SVP of Adverts, and for the final 9 years, the CEO of YouTube. I took on every problem that got here my means as a result of it had a mission that benefited so many individuals’s lives around the globe: discovering data, telling tales and supporting creators, artists and small companies. I’m so pleased with all the pieces we’ve achieved. It’s been exhilarating, significant and all-consuming.
In the present day, after practically 25 years right here, I’ve determined to step again from my function as the pinnacle of YouTube and begin a brand new chapter centered on my household, well being and private tasks I’m captivated with.
The time is true for me, and I really feel ready to do that as a result of we’ve an unimaginable management group in place at YouTube. After I joined YouTube 9 years in the past, certainly one of my first priorities was bringing in an unimaginable management group. Neal Mohan was a kind of leaders, and he’ll be the SVP and new head of YouTube. I’ve spent practically 15 years of my profession working with Neal, first when he came visiting to Google with the DoubleClick acquisition in 2007 and as his function grew to turn out to be SVP of Show and Video Adverts. He grew to become YouTube’s Chief Product Officer in 2015. Since then, he has arrange a top-notch product and UX group, performed pivotal roles within the launch of a few of our greatest merchandise, together with YouTube TV, YouTube Music and Premium and Shorts, and has led our Belief and Security group, guaranteeing that YouTube lives as much as its duty as a worldwide platform. He has an exquisite sense for our product, our enterprise, our creator and consumer communities and our workers. Neal will probably be a terrific chief for YouTube.
With all we’re doing throughout Shorts, streaming and subscriptions, along with the guarantees of AI, YouTube’s most enjoyable alternatives are forward, and Neal is the proper particular person to steer us.
For all of the YouTubers I’ve had the privilege to work with, you have got accomplished a lot to make this platform higher over time. You created the most important artistic economic system the world has ever seen, enabled fully new types of artwork and storytelling, and supported thousands and thousands of creators and artists to succeed in new audiences—all whereas investing in accountable development in order that this sensible group of creators, artists, viewers and advertisers couldn’t solely co-exist however thrive collectively. Thanks!
As for me, within the quick time period, I plan to assist Neal and assist with the transition, which is able to embrace persevering with to work with some YouTube groups, teaching group members, and assembly with creators. In the long run, I’ve agreed with Sundar to tackle an advisory function throughout Google and Alphabet. This can permit me to name on my totally different experiences over time to supply counsel and steering throughout Google and the portfolio of Alphabet firms. It’s an extremely vital time for Google—it jogs my memory of the early days—unimaginable product and expertise innovation, big alternatives, and a wholesome disregard for the inconceivable.
And past that, I’ll nonetheless be round, so I’ll have an opportunity to thank the 1000’s of individuals from all throughout the corporate and the world who I’ve labored with and discovered from. However for now, I need to thank Sundar for his management, assist and imaginative and prescient over time. I additionally need to thank Larry and Sergey for inviting me on what has really been the journey of a lifetime. I all the time dreamed of working for a corporation with a mission that might change the world for the higher. Due to you and your imaginative and prescient, I obtained the prospect to stay that dream. It has been an absolute privilege to be part of it, and I’m excited for what’s subsequent.
Thanks for all the pieces,
Susan
