Susan Wojcicki - the first Google employee to take maternity leave
Celebrated marketing and tech leader Susan Wojcicki was employee number 16 at Google and CEO of YouTube from 2014 until early 2023. On August 10, 2024, Wojcicki passed away at age 56 after a two-year long battle against cancer.
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Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki passed away last week at age 56, after a two-year long battle against lung cancer. There was an outpouring of grief, as tributes for Wojcicki came from business leaders and Google employees from all across the world.
Wojcicki was CEO of Alphabet subsidiary YouTube from 2014 until early 2023. She was also a key part of the iconic big tech company's history. Google cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page rented Wojcicki's garage in Menlo Park, California and developed Google's search engine there in 1998. The following year Wojcicki was hired as Google's employee number 16 and as the search engine's first marketing executive.
In his note to employees on Wojcicki's passing, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai said, "Susan’s journey, from the garage she rented to Larry and Sergey … to leading teams across consumer products and building our Ads business … to becoming the CEO of YouTube, one of the world’s most significant platforms, is inspiring by any measure. But she didn’t stop there."
Pichai said that as one of the earliest Googlers, and the first to take maternity leave, "Susan used her position to build a better workplace for everyone. And in the years that followed, her advocacy around parental leave set a new standard for businesses everywhere."
Wojcicki's passion for education was also highlighted by Pichai: "She realized early on that YouTube could be a learning platform for the world and championed "edutubers" -- especially those who extended the reach of STEM education to underserved communities."
"Susan always put others first, both in her values and in the day to day," added Pichai, saying, "I’ll never forget her kindness to me as a prospective “Noogler” 20 years ago. During my Google interview she took me out for an ice cream and a walk around campus. I was sold - on Google and Susan."
Pichai concluded his note with "I feel so fortunate to have spent so many years working with Susan closely, as I’m sure many of you do -- she was absolutely loved by her teams here. Her time on earth was far too short, but she made every minute count... let’s honor Susan’s memory by continuing to build a Google she would be proud of."
