CEO & Founder @ Arise Leadership. Follow me for practical posts on leadership, working mom life & my unfiltered journey. LinkedIn Learning instructor
Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki died at 56, but here is what no one talks about. Susan's life story left me speechless. It was 1998, and Susan was working at Intel Corporation. She got married to Dennis Troper, and was struggling to afford the mortgage on her recent house purchase. So, she rented out her garage to earn some extra cash. Now, you probably wonder why her garage is even worth mentioning but... Her tenants were Sergey Brin and Larry Page. And Susan's garage was where Google started living. In 1999, Susan was pregnant. But she saw a potential growing in her garage, so she left her safe position at Intel and joined the startup. Although her family and friends thought she was crazy... Susan became Google's first marketing manager. In the next years, she was wholeheartedly focused on growing the company. She helped create the company's longtime logo. She co-developed and launched Google Image Search. She was the first product manager of Google's AdSense. Susan was gifted. She was able to spot potential. In 2006, while YouTube was a small start-up, Wojcicki recommended and subsequently managed the $1.65 billion purchase of YouTube. This led her to be named CEO of YouTube in 2014. By the end of 2014, Susan announced taking maternity leave. This was when she decided to write about the importance of maternity leave for women in The Wall Street Journal. In 2018, Wojcicki ranked #7 on Forbes's list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women. Susan was in Google from 1999 to 2023, and... From 1999 to 2015, Susan gave birth to 5 kids. She was not only a businesswoman growing a company but also a mother - taking care of a big family. Sadly, in March 2024, one of her sons passed from an overdose. 5 months later, after battling non-small-cell lung cancer for 2 years, Wojcicki died on August 9. Susan preached the importance of finding the balance between family and career. Not only preached, but rather proved to all of us how a woman can excel in her career, be a leader, and have a family. Susan's known for helping shape Google and YouTube. But the shape she gave to her life was admirable. I’ve never met Susan but she’s been a role model for me. The news of her death made me genuinely sad. It's the first time I've ever felt a headline hit me to the point that it's a real loss for me. And for the whole world. Susan made a real difference in this world. She believed. She worked. She inspired. Here's to the great women such as Susan. May we be them, raise them, and remember them. R.I.P. Susan Wojcicki. 🕊️