Image of Susan Wojcicki

Susan Wojcicki

Person

Highly respected former tech executive and beloved board member whose tragic passing was movingly memorialized by Marc Benioff.


First Mentioned

5/16/2026, 7:10:57 AM

Last Updated

5/16/2026, 7:12:44 AM

Research Retrieved

5/16/2026, 7:12:44 AM

Summary

Susan Wojcicki (1968–2024) was a pioneering American business executive who served as the CEO of YouTube from 2014 to 2023. Her career was inextricably linked with the rise of Google; she famously rented her garage to founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998 and became the company's first marketing manager in 1999. Wojcicki was instrumental in developing Google's core advertising products, including AdWords and AdSense, and advocated for the $1.65 billion acquisition of YouTube in 2006. Beyond her executive roles, she served on the boards of Salesforce and Room to Read and was a vocal advocate for gender equity in tech and parental leave. She passed away on August 9, 2024, following a two-year battle with lung cancer, and was remembered by the tech community, including the hosts of the All-In Podcast, for her immense legacy and friendship.

Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Education

    BA from Harvard University; MS in Applied Economics from UC Santa Cruz; MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management

  • Net Worth

    $765 million (estimated in 2022)

  • Citizenship

    United States and Poland

  • Date of Birth

    1968-07-05

  • Date of Death

    2024-08-09

  • Cause of Death

    Lung cancer

  • Place of Birth

    Santa Clara, California, United States

  • Place of Death

    Palo Alto, California, United States

Timeline
  • Born in Santa Clara, California. (Source: Wikidata)

    1968-07-05

  • Earned a master's degree in applied economics from UC Santa Cruz. (Source: Web search results)

    1993-06-01

  • Rented her garage in Menlo Park to Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin to serve as the company's first office. (Source: Wikipedia)

    1998-09-01

  • Joined Google as its 16th employee and first marketing manager. (Source: Wikipedia)

    1999-01-01

  • Began leading the development of Google's advertising products, including AdWords and AdSense. (Source: Web search results)

    2002-01-01

  • Orchestrated Google's acquisition of YouTube for $1.65 billion. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2006-11-01

  • Appointed as the CEO of YouTube. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2014-02-01

  • Named to Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. (Source: Web search results)

    2015-04-16

  • Stepped down as CEO of YouTube to focus on family, health, and personal projects. (Source: Britannica Money)

    2023-02-16

  • Passed away at the age of 56 after living with lung cancer for two years. (Source: Wikidata)

    2024-08-09

Susan Wojcicki

Susan Diane Wojcicki ( woo-CHITS-kee; July 5, 1968 – August 9, 2024) was an American business executive who was the chief executive officer of YouTube from 2014 to 2023. Her net worth was estimated at $765 million in 2022. Wojcicki worked in the technology industry for over twenty years. She became involved in the creation of Google in 1998 when she rented out her garage as an office to the company's founders. She worked as Google's first marketing manager in 1999, leading the company's online advertising business and original video service. After observing the success of YouTube, she suggested that Google should buy it; the deal was approved for $1.65 billion in 2006. She was appointed CEO of YouTube in 2014, serving until resigning in February 2023.

Web Search Results
  • Susan Wojcicki - Wikipedia

    Susan Diane Wojcicki (/w uː ˈ tʃ ɪ t s k i/_woo-CHITS-kee_;( July 5, 1968 – August 9, 2024) was an American business executive who was the chief executive officer of YouTube from 2014 to 2023. Her net worth was estimated at $765 million in 2022.( Wojcicki worked in the technology industry for over twenty years.( She became involved in the creation of Google in 1998 when she rented out her garage as an office to the company's founders.( She worked as Google's first marketing manager in 1999, leading the company's online advertising business and original video service. After observing the success of YouTube, she suggested that Google should buy it; the deal was approved for $1.65 billion in 2006. She was appointed CEO of YouTube in 2014, serving until resigning in February 2023.( [...] | Image 4: Wojcicki speaking at a TechCrunch panel. She is a middle-aged woman with blonde hair, wearing a white formal shirt and a golden necklace..jpg) Wojcicki in 2016 | | Born | Susan Diane Wojcicki (1968-07-05)July 5, 1968 Santa Clara, California, U.S. | | Died | August 9, 2024(2024-08-09) (aged 56) Los Altos, California, U.S. | | Citizenship | United States Poland | | Education | Harvard University (BA) University of California, Santa Cruz (MS) University of California, Los Angeles (MBA) | | Occupations | Business manager executive advisor | | Title | CEO of YouTube (2014–2023) | | Predecessor | Salar Kamangar | | Successor | Neal Mohan | | Board member of | Salesforce Room to Read UCLA Anderson School of Management | | Spouse | Dennis Troper ​ (m.1998)​ | [...] ## Early life and education [edit] Susan Diane Wojcicki was born in Santa Clara, California, on July 5, 1968, the daughter of Esther Wojcicki, an American journalist, and Stanley Wojcicki, a Polish physics professor at Stanford University.( Her paternal grandfather, Franciszek Wójcicki, was a Polish politician who was elected MP during the 1947 Polish legislative election.( Her paternal grandmother, Janina Wójcicka Hoskins, was a Polish-American librarian at the Library of Congress and was responsible for building the largest collection of Polish material in the U.S.( She had two sisters: Janet, a doctor of anthropology and epidemiology,( and Anne, an entrepreneur who is the co-founder and CEO of 23andMe.(

  • Susan Wojcicki | Biography, YouTube, Death, & Facts | Britannica Money

    Britannica Money Sheryl Sandberg marketing advertisement for hair dressing Marissa Mayer # Susan Wojcicki Sheryl Sandberg marketing advertisement for hair dressing Marissa Mayer Susan Wojcicki Susan Wojcicki (born July 5, 1968, Santa Clara, California, U.S.—died August 9, 2024) was an American tech industry executive who was CEO (2014–23) of the video-sharing Web site YouTube. She previously was the senior vice president in charge of marketing at YouTube’s parent company, Google Inc. [...] Wojcicki first became involved with video sharing in connection with the launch of Google Video in 2005. The following year she oversaw the purchase of rival YouTube, an equally new venture that was enjoying greater success. The YouTube brand name was retained even after the company became a Google subsidiary. Wojcicki, who was elevated to senior vice president at Google in 2010, moved over to YouTube in 2014 and became the company’s CEO later that year. She thus became head of an operation that claimed to have more than one billion monthly users. In 2023 Wojcicki stepped down to concentrate on “family, health, and personal projects.” She died the following year from lung cancer.

  • Susan Wojcicki | AAF

    Susan WojcickiFrom 2014 through 2023, Susan Wojcicki was the CEO of YouTube, the world’s most popular digital video platform used by billions of people around the world to access information, share video, and shape culture. She was an early champion of online video and instrumental in Google's 2006 acquisition of YouTube. As CEO, Susan oversaw YouTube's content and business operations, engineering, and product development. [...] Prior to joining YouTube in February 2014, Susan was Senior Vice President of Advertising & Commerce at Google, where she oversaw the design and engineering of AdWords, AdSense, DoubleClick, and Google Analytics. She joined Google in 1999 as the company's first marketing manager and led the initial development of several key consumer products including Google Images and Google Books. In 2002, Susan began working on Google’s advertising products and over the next 12 years she led teams that helped define the vision and direction of Google’s monetization platforms. [...] Susan graduated with honors from Harvard University, held a master's in economics from UC Santa Cruz, and an MBA from UCLA. In 2015, Susan was named to Time’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In August 2024, Susan passed away after two years of living with lung cancer. She leaves behind a legacy of advocacy – addressing tech’s gender imbalance through STEM education for girls, pushing to bring more women into tech, lobbying for better parental leave policies, and resourcing groups that support women and underrepresented employees.

  • Susan Wojcicki ('98)

    ##### Susan Wojcicki (’98) was a special advisor to Google and Alphabet. She previously served as the CEO of YouTube, the world’s most popular digital video platform, which is used by over 2 billion people across the globe to access information, share video and shape culture. Susan was an early champion of online video and was instrumental in Google's 2006 acquisition of YouTube. Prior to joining YouTube in February 2014, Susan was senior vice president of advertising and commerce at Google, where she oversaw the design and engineering of AdWords, AdSense, DoubleClick and Google Analytics. She had joined Google in 1999 as the company's first marketing manager and had led the initial development of several key consumer products, including Google Images and Google Books. In 2002, she began [...] Google Images and Google Books. In 2002, she began working on Google’s advertising products, and over the next 12 years, she led teams that helped define the vision and direction of Google’s monetization platforms. Susan graduated with honors from Harvard University, obtained a master's in economics from UC Santa Cruz and earned an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. In 2015, she was named to the TIME100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

  • Tech industry leader and UC Santa Cruz alumna Susan Wojcicki dies at 56 - News

    --- Campus News # Tech industry leader and UC Santa Cruz alumna Susan Wojcicki dies at 56 Susan Wojcicki, a visionary tech executive and former CEO of YouTube, passed away August 9, 2024, at the age of 56. By Abby Butler Susan Wojcicki, a visionary tech executive and former CEO of YouTube, passed away August 9, 2024, at the age of 56. Renowned for her leadership in the tech world, Wojcicki maintained a lifelong connection to the University of California, Santa Cruz, which she credited with shaping her remarkable career. [...] “Susan and Dennis have a deep commitment to fostering equity and access to education,” said Mark Delos Reyes Davis, Vice Chancellor of University Advancement. “All of us at UC Santa Cruz are deeply saddened to learn of Susan’s passing. We hope her family can find solace knowing that her legacy is reflected in these scholars’ success and leadership.” Born and raised on the Stanford University campus, Wojcicki, the oldest of three daughters, was deeply influenced by her academic upbringing. Her father, Stanley Wojcicki, was a distinguished particle physicist and chaired Stanford’s Physics Department, while her mother, Esther Wojcicki, was a groundbreaking journalism educator and founder of Palo Alto High School’s Media Arts Program. [...] Wojcicki earned her master’s degree in applied economics from UC Santa Cruz in 1993. During her two years on campus, she developed the quantitative skills in math, statistics, economics, and econometrics that propelled her career in high-tech. Reflecting on her time at UC Santa Cruz, Wojcicki often spoke of the “strong foundation in analytical thinking” that her studies on campus provided, which proved invaluable in her subsequent career. During her time on campus, she met her future husband, Dennis Troper (M.S. ‘93, applied economics).