On Feb. 16, Youtube CEO Susan Wojcicki announced that she is stepping down after nearly a decade.
“[I’m] start[ing] a new chapter focused on my family, health, and personal projects I’m passionate about,” Wojcicki said. “[I] will continue helping advise the company.”
She rose to prominence as one of the most esteemed female leaders in the predominantly male tech world, but she will always be known as Google’s first landlord.
Wojcicki became CEO in 2014, however, she was with the company well before that as she was with Google, Youtube’s parent company. She became Google’s 16th employee in 1999 and was hired as the first marketing manager.
Unfortunately, Wojcicki’s resignation occurs as YouTube is going through one of its most trying situations. The last six months of 2022, there was a five percent decline in YouTube’s advertising revenue compared to the prior year; this is the first significant decline the streaming platform has experienced since Alphabet Inc. revealed its financial circumstances. Alphabet’s stock has declined by 11 percent since it produced its most recent quarterly report due to analysts being concerned the downward slope will continue this year. She also just happens to be leaving days before the U.S. Supreme Court is slated to listen to arguments in a lawsuit endangering the unconstrained manner which has traditionally served as one of YouTube’s main benefits.
According to ABC News, the new CEO taking her place is Neal Mohan, the chief product officer and co-creator of Youtube Shorts.
“When I joined YouTube nine years ago, one of my first priorities was bringing in an incredible leadership team. Neal Mohan was one of those leaders, and he’ll be the SVP and new head of YouTube,” Wojcicki stated.
“ [I’m] looking forward to what lies ahead,” Mohan said in a tweet.
“It has been an absolute privilege to be a part of [this], and I’m excited for what’s next.
Thank you for everything,” Wojcick said in her statement.
Although this is a huge loss to the tech community and Youtube, the company has opened a whole new world of opportunities to create and expand their platform.
YouTube CEO steps down, severing longtime ties to Google – ABC News
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki Is Stepping Down (businessinsider.com)
