YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, who has led the world’s largest video website for the final 9 years, is stepping down from her position. She’ll be replaced by Neal Mohan, her longtime lieutenant.
In a letter despatched to YouTube’s staff, Wojcicki stated she was leaving as a way to “begin a brand new chapter targeted on my household, well being and private initiatives I’m captivated with.”
Throughout her tenure, YouTube turned 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 usually. For years, she has been one of many only a few girls 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 unbelievable contribution to merchandise used by individuals in all places,” Web page and Brin stated in an announcement. “We’re so grateful for all she’s accomplished over the past 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 attempting to compete with YouTube. She ended up arguing that Google can purchase the location as a substitute.
Throughout her tenure as YouTube’s chief, she made a degree of accelerating its accessibility to advertisers, whereas concurrently attempting to wrangle an unlimited 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 selections made it arduous for them to make a residing, 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 everyone,” 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 staff 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.
Under is the complete textual content of Wojcicki’s letter to her staff:
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 had been constructing a brand new search engine. Their names had been Larry and Sergey. I noticed the potential of what they had been constructing, which was extremely thrilling, and though the corporate had only some customers and no income, I made a decision to hitch the staff.
It could be among the finest selections of my life.
Through the years, 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 Guide 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 method as a result of it had a mission that benefited so many individuals’s lives world wide: discovering data, telling tales and supporting creators, artists and small companies. I’m so pleased with the whole lot 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 position as the top of YouTube and begin a brand new chapter targeted on my household, well being and private initiatives I’m captivated with.
The time is proper for me, and I really feel in a position to do that as a result of we have now an unbelievable management staff in place at YouTube. Once I joined YouTube 9 years in the past, considered one of my first priorities was bringing in an unbelievable management staff. Neal Mohan was a type 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 to visit to Google with the DoubleClick acquisition in 2007 and as his position grew to turn out to be SVP of Show and Video Adverts. He turned YouTube’s Chief Product Officer in 2015. Since then, he has arrange a top-notch product and UX staff, performed pivotal roles within the launch of a few of our largest merchandise, together with YouTube TV, YouTube Music and Premium and Shorts, and has led our Belief and Security staff, making certain that YouTube lives as much as its accountability as a worldwide platform. He has a beautiful sense for our product, our enterprise, our creator and person communities and our staff. Neal might 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 fun alternatives are forward, and Neal is the fitting individual to steer us.
For all of the YouTubers I’ve had the privilege to work with, you’ve accomplished a lot to make this platform higher over time. You created the biggest inventive financial system the world has ever seen, enabled solely new types of artwork and storytelling, and supported tens of millions of creators and artists to succeed in new audiences—all whereas investing in accountable development in order that this good neighborhood of creators, artists, viewers and advertisers couldn’t solely co-exist however thrive collectively. Thanks!
As for me, within the brief time period, I plan to help Neal and assist with the transition, which can embody persevering with to work with some YouTube groups, teaching staff members, and assembly with creators. In the long run, I’ve agreed with Sundar to tackle an advisory position throughout Google and Alphabet. It will enable me to name on my completely 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—unbelievable product and expertise innovation, enormous 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 realized from. However for now, I wish to thank Sundar for his management, help and imaginative and prescient over time. I additionally wish 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 an organization with a mission that might change the world for the higher. Because of you and your imaginative and prescient, I acquired 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 the whole lot,
Susan
