Susan Wojcicki, who led YouTube for practically a decade – and was personally concerned within the platform putting landmark offers with the music business – died yesterday (August 9) aged 56.
Wojcicki’s demise after two years of residing with most cancers was confirmed by her husband, Dennis Troper, in a social media put up.
“It’s with profound disappointment that I share the information of Susan Wojcicki passing. My beloved spouse of 26 years and mom to our 5 kids left us at present after 2 years of residing with non-small cell lung most cancers,” Troper wrote.
“Susan was not simply my finest pal and associate in life, however an excellent thoughts, a loving mom, and a pricey pal to many. Her influence on our household and the world was immeasurable. We’re heartbroken, however grateful for the time we had together with her. Please preserve our household in your ideas as we navigate this troublesome time.”
Susan Wojcicki joined Google in 1999 as its sixteenth worker, and, amongst many different achievements, oversaw the corporate’s $1.65 billion buy of YouTube in 2006.
Wojcicki then turned YouTube CEO from 2014 to 2023, a interval during which the platform quickly scaled its world attain.
Her achievements included increasing YouTube to sensible televisions and launching YouTube TV, in addition to main the early growth of Google’s picture search.
As well as, Wojcicki and her crew at YouTube remodeled the platform’s relationship with the music enterprise.
Out of that improved relationship got here milestone licensing agreements and, in the end, the profitable launch of YouTube Music / YouTube Premium in 2018.
Tellingly, Common Music Group chief Sir Lucian Grainge personally congratulated Wojcicki when YouTube Music surpassed 50 million subscribers in 2021.
For over a decade at YouTube, Wojcicki labored carefully with Robert Kyncl – now CEO of Warner Music Group, however beforehand Chief Enterprise Officer at Google’s video platform.
Alongside Kyncl, Wojcicki performed a key function within the hiring of Lyor Cohen as International Head of Music at YouTube in 2016.
Right now, beneath Cohen’s management, YouTube Music (and YouTube Premium) has expanded to over 100 million paying subscribers globally.
YouTube is at present the second-largest industrial associate of music rightsholders, paying over $6 billion yearly to recorded firms and music publishers.
The platform has publicly acknowledged its ambition to overhaul Spotify because the music rights business’s No.1 industrial associate within the years forward.
In a tribute to Wojcicki posted on X yesterday, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, stated, “Unbelievably saddened by the lack of my expensive pal @SusanWojcicki after two years of residing with most cancers. She is as core to the historical past of Google as anybody, and it’s onerous to think about the world with out her.”
Pichai continued: “She was an unbelievable particular person, chief and pal who had an incredible influence on the world and I’m certainly one of numerous Googlers who is healthier for understanding her. We are going to miss her dearly. Our ideas together with her household. RIP Susan.”Music Enterprise Worldwide
