YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has announced that she’s stepping down from the helm of the streaming video service. Wojcicki, who joined Alphabet nearly 25 years ago, said she’s starting “a new chapter focused on my family, health, and personal projects I’m passionate about.”
In her farewell letter, Wojcicki said Neal Mohan, her de-facto deputy, is taking over as the new chief of YouTube. Mohan arrived at the company when Google bought DoubleClick in 2007. He went on to become YouTube’s Chief Product Officer in 2015 and helped to launch YouTube TV, YouTube Music, Premium and Shorts. Mohan also led the service’s trust and safety team.
Intriguingly, Wojcicki wrote that Mohan will be senior vice-president and head of YouTube, rather than CEO. “With all we’re doing across Shorts, streaming and subscriptions, together with the promises of AI, YouTube’s most exciting opportunities are ahead, and Neal is the right person to lead us,” Wojcicki said.
She won’t be leaving YouTube immediately. “In the short term, I plan to support Neal and help with the transition, which will include continuing to work with some YouTube teams, coaching team members, and meeting with creators,” she wrote. Wojcicki will still be involved with the company after that as she’ll serve as an advisor to Google and Alphabet. “This will allow me to call on my different experiences over the years to offer counsel and guidance across Google and the portfolio of Alphabet companies,” she noted.
Wojcicki has been involved with Google practically since the beginning. The company’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, set up office in her parents’ garage soon after they incorporated Google in 1998. Wojcicki became Google’s first marketing manager the following year and played a role in the earliest Google Doodles. In 2006, she encouraged Google to buy YouTube, which launched a year earlier.
YouTube became an increasingly important part of Google and Alphabet during Wojcicki’s tenure. The platform’s ad revenue alone accounted for over 10 percent of the company’s total revenue in 2022.
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