After nine years of leading the Alphabet Inc. video service YouTube, Chief Executive Susan Wojcicki has decided to step down from her role and focus on her family, health, and personal projects. In a blog post, Wojcicki wrote that she will be replaced by Neal Mohan, a longtime Googler who has served as YouTube’s chief product officer.
Mohan “has set up a top-notch product and UX team, played pivotal roles in the launch of some of our biggest products, including YouTube TV, YouTube Music and Premium and Shorts, and has led our Trust and Safety team, ensuring that YouTube lives up to its responsibility as a global platform,” Wojcicki wrote, adding that he “will be a terrific leader for YouTube.”
Wojcicki plans to stay on and help with the transition to Mohan as CEO. She has also agreed to serve as an advisor to Alphabet Inc. CEO Sundar Pichai, which she said would “allow me to call on my different experiences over the years to offer counsel and guidance across Google and the portfolio of Alphabet companies.”
Wojcicki was the first marketing manager hired by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1999. She was later promoted to senior vice president of Advertising and Commerce and then CEO of YouTube in 2014. During her tenure, YouTube grew from a small startup to a global platform with over two billion monthly users.
Throughout her time at YouTube, Wojcicki was a vocal advocate for free expression, user privacy, and the protection of children online. She also championed the Content ID system, which helps creators protect their content from copyright infringement.
In her blog post, Wojcicki thanked the YouTube community for their support and guidance over the years. “It has been an honor to lead YouTube and I am immensely proud of all that we have accomplished together,” she wrote.
Wojcicki’s departure comes as Google stock was trading near even on Thursday. Neal Mohan will now be responsible for leading YouTube into the future and continuing the success that Wojcicki has achieved over the last nine years.
Susan Wojcicki’s tenure at YouTube has been a remarkable success story. She took a small startup and transformed it into a global platform with over two billion monthly users. During her time at YouTube, Wojcicki was a vocal advocate for free expression, user privacy, and the protection of children online. She also championed the Content ID system, which helps creators protect their content from copyright infringement.
Wojcicki’s legacy of success at YouTube will be hard to match, but Neal Mohan is well-positioned to take the reins and continue the success that she has achieved over the last nine years. Mohan has been with YouTube since its early days and has been instrumental in the launch of some of YouTube’s biggest products, including YouTube TV, YouTube Music and Premium and Shorts. He has also led YouTube’s Trust and Safety team, ensuring that the platform lives up to its responsibility as a global platform.
Wojcicki has agreed to stay on and help with the transition to Mohan as CEO, and has also agreed to serve as an advisor to Alphabet Inc. CEO Sundar Pichai. This will allow her to call on her different experiences over the years to offer counsel and guidance across Google and the portfolio of Alphabet companies.
YouTube has been fortunate to have had Susan Wojcicki as its leader for the past nine years. As she moves on to focus on her family, health, and personal projects, she leaves behind a legacy of success that will be difficult to match. Neal Mohan is well-positioned to take the reins and continue the success that Wojcicki has achieved over the last nine years. With Wojcicki’s continued guidance and support, Mohan will be able to lead YouTube into the future and ensure that the platform remains a global leader in the video streaming space.
