YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, who has led the world’s largest video web site for the final 9 years, is stepping down from her position. She’ll get replaced by Neal Mohan, her longtime lieutenant.
In a letter despatched to YouTube’s workers, Wojcicki stated she was leaving with the intention to “begin a brand new chapter targeted on my household, well being and private initiatives I’m enthusiastic about.”
Throughout her tenure, YouTube grew to become more and more essential 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 p.c of Alphabet’s total revenue.
Wojcicki’s departure additionally has significant symbolism for Google and tech generally. 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 utilized by individuals all over the place,” Web page and Brin stated in a press release. “We’re so grateful for all she’s performed over the past 25 years.”
Wojcicki began at Google working advertising, 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 an alternative.
Throughout her tenure as YouTube’s chief, she made some extent 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 adjustments and moderation choices made it laborious 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 everybody,” Wojcicki instructed 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 crew and has in Neal a successor who is able to hit the bottom working and lead YouTube by way of its subsequent decade of success,” Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai stated in a press release.
Under 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 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 just a few customers and no income, I made a decision to hitch the crew.
It might be among the finest choices of my life.
Over time, I’ve worn many hats and performed so many issues: managed advertising, co-created Google Picture Search, led Google’s first Video and Ebook search, in addition to early components of AdSense’s creation, labored on the YouTube and DoubleClick acquisitions, served as SVP of Advertisements, 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 around the globe: discovering data, telling tales and supporting creators, artists and small companies. I’m so pleased with every thing we’ve achieved. It’s been exhilarating, significant and all-consuming.
In the present day, after almost 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 enthusiastic about.
The time is true for me, and I really feel in a position to do that as a result of we’ve an unbelievable management crew in place at YouTube. Once I joined YouTube 9 years in the past, one among my first priorities was bringing in an unbelievable management crew. Neal Mohan was a kind of leaders, and he’ll be the SVP and new head of YouTube. I’ve spent almost 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 develop into SVP of Show and Video Advertisements. He grew to become YouTube’s Chief Product Officer in 2015. Since then, he has arrange a top-notch product and UX crew, 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 crew, guaranteeing that YouTube lives as much as its accountability as a world platform. He has an exquisite sense for our product, our enterprise, our creator and person communities and our workers. Neal can 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 fitting particular person to guide us.
For all of the YouTubers I’ve had the privilege to work with, you will have performed a lot to make this platform higher over time. You created the most important artistic financial system the world has ever seen, enabled solely new types of artwork and storytelling, and supported hundreds of thousands of creators and artists to achieve new audiences—all whereas investing in accountable development in order that this good 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 help Neal and assist with the transition, which can embody persevering with to work with some YouTube groups, teaching crew members, and assembly with creators. In the long term, I’ve agreed with Sundar to tackle an advisory position throughout Google and Alphabet. This may permit me to name on my totally different experiences over time to supply counsel and steerage throughout Google and the portfolio of Alphabet corporations. It’s an extremely essential time for Google—it jogs my memory of the early days—unbelievable product and expertise innovation, big alternatives, and a wholesome disregard for the unimaginable.
And past that, I’ll nonetheless be round, so I’ll have an opportunity to thank the hundreds 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, help and imaginative and prescient over time. I additionally need to thank Larry and Sergey for inviting me on what has actually been the journey of a lifetime. I at all times dreamed of working for an organization with a mission that would change the world for the higher. Because of you and your imaginative and prescient, I acquired the prospect to reside that dream. It has been an absolute privilege to be part of it, and I’m excited for what’s subsequent.
Thanks for every thing,
Susan
