Janice R. Andrews
Susan Wojcicki, the trailblazing former CEO of YouTube, lost her fight with non-small cell lung cancer two years ago on Friday, when she was 56 years old. Her husband, Dennis Troper, revealed the news of her passing in a moving Facebook message, expressing his profound sadness at losing his 26-year wife.
I convey the news of Susan Wojcicki’s demise with great grief. After two years of battling non-small cell lung cancer, my cherished 26-year-married wife and mother of our five children departed from us today, Troper stated. He called Wojcicki a treasured friend, a mother who loved her children, and a smart intellect. “Although we are devastated, we are happy for the time we spent with her. As we get through this trying period, please remember our family,” he said.
Susan Wojcicki has left a huge legacy in the tech industry. In 2014, she was appointed CEO of YouTube and oversaw a time of significant expansion and change for the platform. Under her direction, YouTube became one of the most significant online platforms, with over 2 billion monthly logged-in users. Wojcicki’s involvement with Google predates her time as CEO of YouTube; she played a key role in the company’s early stages by letting Larry Page and Sergey Brin use her garage to establish their first office.
In a message posted on X (formerly Twitter), Alphabet CEO and Google representative Sundar Pichai honoured Wojcicki and expressed his profound sorrow at the passing of his friend and coworker. “I have never met someone as active and vibrant as Susan,” Pichai said. “The thousands of Googlers she led over the years, the millions of people worldwide who looked up to her, benefited from her advocacy and leadership, and felt the impact of the incredible things she created at Google, YouTube, and beyond—her loss is devastating for all of us who know and love her.”
Pichai went on to emphasise Wojcicki’s contributions to society, pointing out that throughout her struggle with cancer, she never wavered in her commitment to charity, especially by funding studies into the illness that finally claimed her life. “She made a huge difference in the world, and knowing her has improved the lives of innumerable Google employees, including me. We shall really miss her,” he remarked.
Wojcicki passed away suddenly a few months after her son, Marco Troper, 19, tragically lost his life to a drug overdose while a student at UC Berkeley earlier this year. In a Facebook post at the time, Wojcicki’s mother, Esther Wojcicki, expressed the family’s grief at Marco’s passing.
The trajectory of Susan Wojcicki’s career bears witness to her impact as one of the leading female figures in technology. She was listed as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most important people in 2015. Although her exit from YouTube last year signalled the end of an incredible period, her contributions to the tech sector and her influence on the development of the digital world will live on for some time to come.
Four of Wojcicki’s five children and her spouse Dennis Troper survive her. The computer community laments the passing of a wonderful lady and a visionary leader, as do her family and friends.
