Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, announced on Thursday that Susan Wojcicki, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of YouTube, has resigned from her position. Wojcicki stated that she wants to spend more time working on her personal projects, family, and health. Neal Mohan, an Indian-American, will succeed Wojcicki as firm CEO.
Wojcicki wrote in a blog post that she will devote her time to “focusing on my family, health, and personal initiatives I’m passionate about.”
Wojcicki reaffirmed that she would hold onto the position throughout the transition process and would join Google and Alphabet in an advising capacity. She has served as the leader of the social media platforms for nine years, and they have experienced significant growth throughout that time.
YouTube rose to become one of Alphabet’s crown jewels under Wojcicki’s leadership
Wojcicki made a point of opening up YouTube to marketers while also overseeing the video producers that supported the video hosting platform. With her help, YouTube rose to become one of Alphabet’s crown jewels, and in 2022 the social media site generated $29.2 billion in ad sales, accounting for more than 10% of the company’s overall revenue.
Before taking over as CEO of YouTube in 2014, she was Google’s senior vice president for ad products. Wojcicki, one of Google’s first hires, has worked with the business for almost 25 years.
Wojcicki’s resignation also has a symbolic significance because she was among the few women holding high positions in technology corporations.
“Susan has a unique place in Google history and has made the most incredible contribution to products used by people everywhere,” Page and Brin said in a statement. “We’re so grateful for all she’s done over the last 25 years.”
Who is Neal Mohan, YouTube’s new CEO
After Wojcicki, Neal Mohan, who now holds the title of Chief Product Officer (CPO) at YouTube, will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). As CPO, Mohan was in charge of the user experience and products across all platforms for YouTube.
Neal earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Stanford University and his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He previously worked with companies like Accenture and Microsoft and has been YouTube’s Chief Product Officer for over seven years.