YouTube CEO Wojcicki quits after 25 years at Google

Susan Wojcicki, one of Google’s earliest employees and the current CEO of YouTube, announced her resignation from her position in a personal update on the video-sharing platform on February 16, 2023.

Wojcicki whose worth was estimated at $765 million in 2022, who began her career at Google almost 25 years ago, will be succeeded by her deputy, Neal Mohan, a senior executive responsible for advertising and product, who joined Google in 2008.

The transition occurs as YouTube experiences a decline in advertising revenue for the second consecutive quarter due to strong competition for viewing time with other video services such as TikTok and Facebook’s Reels, as well as streaming platforms like Netflix.

Mohan, who became chief product officer at YouTube in 2015, focused on developing YouTube Shorts, Music, and subscription offerings in his previous role. Wojcicki expressed her intention to concentrate on “family, health, and personal projects” and plans to continue serving as an advisor to Alphabet.

Wojcicki previously served as Senior Vice President for Ad Products at Google before becoming YouTube’s CEO in 2014.

Wojcicki has worked in the technology industry for over twenty years. She became involved in the creation of Google in 1998 when its founders first set up an office in the garage of her home.

She worked as Google’s first marketing manager in 1999, and later led the company’s online advertising business and original video service. After observing the success of YouTube, she suggested that Google should buy it; the deal was approved for $1.65 billion in 2006.