After nearly a quarter of a century at Google, YouTube’s Chief Executive Officer and one of the most prominent women in tech will be stepping down from her role. Susan Wojcicki had personally informed YouTube employees via a letter to her staff first, before then posting the letter up onto the YouTube blog.
“Today, after nearly 25 years here, I’ve decided to step back from my role as the head of YouTube and start a new chapter focused on my family, health, and personal projects I’m passionate about,” – Susan Wojcicki, YouTube CEO
Wojcicki was one of the earliest team members at Google, joining the then fledging tech startup in May 1999 as the sixteenth ever employee at Google. She has since taken over many roles at Google, from managing marketing, helping to create Google Image Search as well as their Video and Book search and was there when AdSense was first formed. She later worked on YouTube when Google acquired the video platform, later serving as a senior vice president of Ads before finally serving as the CEO of YouTube for the last nine years.
Celebrating 20 years at Google! Joined in May 1999 as employee 16. pic.twitter.com/P36lFdhbGp
— Susan Wojcicki (@SusanWojcicki) May 31, 2019
She is set to be replaced by Neal Mohan, the current Chief Product Officer of YouTube. Mohan first joined YouTube when Google acquired DoubleClick back in 2007. Mohan however technically won’t become the new CEO of YouTube. Instead, Mohan will assume the role of Senior Vice President and Head of YouTube.
Wojcicki also won’t be immediately leaving YouTube just yet, instead helping Mohan out with the transition before stepping away to take on an advisory role with Google and its parent company Alphabet instead.
“And beyond that, I’ll still be around, so I’ll have a chance to thank the thousands of people from all across the company and the world who I’ve worked with and learned from. But for now, I want to thank Sundar for his leadership, support and vision over the years. I also want to thank Larry and Sergey for inviting me on what has truly been the adventure of a lifetime.
I always dreamed of working for a company with a mission that could change the world for the better. Thanks to you and your vision, I got the chance to live that dream. It has been an absolute privilege to be a part of it, and I’m excited for what’s next,” – Susan Wojcicki
If you want to read her full letter, you can click here to visit the YouTube blog.
