YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki is stepping down from her role after nine years at the helm of the online video sharing service and 25 years at Google and Alphabet.
In addition to working on Alphabet and Google’s YouTube and DoubleClick acquisitions, Wojcicki co-created Google Image Search, led Google’s first Video and Book search and served as senior vice president of ads. She’s also notable for being Google’s first landlord, having rented her Menlo Park, Calif., garage to co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, only later agreeing to join the company as an employee.
As CEO, Wojcicki emphasized new YouTube apps and experiences designed to cater to gaming, family and music segments. She spearheaded YouTube’s ad-free subscription offering, YouTube Premium (formerly known as YouTube Red) and the platform’s over-the-top streaming TV product, YouTube TV. And she oversaw efforts to develop diverse forms of monetization for YouTube creators, like channel memberships, merchandise and paid digital goods
Perhaps more importantly, Wojcicki responded to allegations — some would argue inelegantly — that YouTube’s algorithm encouraged hate speech and violent extremism by tightening the platform’s enforcement policies. In a separate note shared to the YouTube Creators blog today, Wojcicki spoke to creators directly.
Wojcicki will be replaced by Neal Mohan, YouTube’s longtime chief product officer. Mohan came to Google with the tech giant’s DoubleClick acquisition in 2007, and — as his responsibilities grew — he was promoted to SVP of display and video ads before assuming his current role in 2015. As for Wojcicki, she says that she’ll take on an “advisory role” across Google and Alphabet, offering counsel and guidance.
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