Susan Wojcicki, who led YouTube for practically a decade – and was personally concerned within the platform hanging landmark offers with the music business – died yesterday (August 9) aged 56.
Wojcicki’s loss of life after two years of dwelling 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 youngsters left us at the moment after 2 years of dwelling with non-small cell lung most cancers,” Troper wrote.
“Susan was not simply my finest good friend and companion in life, however a superb thoughts, a loving mom, and a pricey good friend to many. Her impression 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 grew to become YouTube CEO from 2014 to 2023, a interval by 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 reworked the platform’s relationship with the music enterprise.
Out of that improved relationship got here milestone licensing agreements and, finally, 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 intently 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.
At the moment, below 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 companion 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 companion within the years forward.
In a tribute to Wojcicki posted on X yesterday, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, mentioned, “Unbelievably saddened by the lack of my pricey good friend @SusanWojcicki after two years of dwelling 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 unimaginable individual, chief and good friend who had an incredible impression on the world and I’m considered one of numerous Googlers who is healthier for figuring out her. We are going to miss her dearly. Our ideas together with her household. RIP Susan.”Music Enterprise Worldwide
