YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, who has led the world’s largest video website 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 mentioned she was leaving with a purpose 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 positioning 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 complete 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 12 months later.
“Susan has a singular place in Google historical past and has made probably the most unbelievable contribution to merchandise utilized by individuals in every single place,” Web page and Brin mentioned in an announcement. “We’re so grateful for all she’s carried out over the past 25 years.”
Wojcicki began at Google operating advertising, 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 should purchase the positioning 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 positioning.
That periodically led to criticism from video makers, who mentioned YouTube’s rule adjustments and moderation selections made it laborious for them to make a dwelling, and outsiders, who mentioned the corporate wasn’t taking a agency sufficient hand to discourage hate speech and different disagreeable content material. “We managed to upset everyone,” Wojcicki instructed me in a 2019 interview.
Wojcicki has spent years working carefully 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 workforce and has in Neal a successor who is able to hit the bottom operating and lead YouTube by means of its subsequent decade of success,” Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai mentioned in an announcement.
Beneath is the complete 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 affix 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 only some customers and no income, I made a decision to affix the workforce.
It will be among the best selections of my life.
Through the years, I’ve worn many hats and carried out so many issues: managed advertising, co-created Google Picture Search, led Google’s first Video and Ebook search, in addition to early elements 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 means as a result of it had a mission that benefited so many individuals’s lives all over the world: discovering info, telling tales and supporting creators, artists and small companies. I’m so happy with all the pieces we’ve achieved. It’s been exhilarating, significant and all-consuming.
Right now, after almost 25 years right here, I’ve determined to step again from my function as the pinnacle of YouTube and begin a brand new chapter targeted on my household, well being and private initiatives I’m enthusiastic about.
The time is correct for me, and I really feel in a position to do that as a result of we have now an unbelievable management workforce in place at YouTube. After I joined YouTube 9 years in the past, considered one of my first priorities was bringing in an unbelievable management workforce. Neal Mohan was a type 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 function grew to grow to be 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 workforce, 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 workforce, 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 person 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 appropriate individual to steer us.
For all of the YouTubers I’ve had the privilege to work with, you could have carried out a lot to make this platform higher over time. You created the most important inventive financial system the world has ever seen, enabled solely 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 progress 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 quick time period, I plan to assist Neal and assist with the transition, which can embody persevering with to work with some YouTube groups, teaching workforce members, and assembly with creators. In the long run, I’ve agreed with Sundar to tackle an advisory function throughout Google and Alphabet. It will permit me to name on my completely different experiences over time to supply counsel and steering 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 know-how innovation, large alternatives, and a wholesome disregard for the not possible.
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 wish to thank Sundar for his management, assist 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 would change the world for the higher. Due to you and your imaginative and prescient, I acquired the prospect to dwell 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
