Business executive Susan Wojcicki, who served as YouTube’s chief executive officer for nine years, died at 56 years old Friday, according to her family.
She had been living with non-small cell lung cancer for the past two years.
“It is with profound sadness that I share the news of Susan Wojcicki passing,” Wojcicki’s husband Dennis Troper said on Facebook. “Susan was not just my best friend and partner in life, but a brilliant mind, a loving mother, and a dear friend to many.
“Her impact on our family and the world was immeasurable. We are heartbroken, but grateful for the time we had with her. Please keep our family in your thoughts as we navigate this difficult time.”
Wojcicki and Troper married in 1998 and share five children.
In February, Wojcicki’s son Marco Troper was found dead inside a University of California, Berkeley dorm room.
She was appointed CEO of YouTube in 2014 and named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people the following year.
Wojcicki resigned from her position — after 25 years with the company — in Feb. 2023 to “start a new chapter focused on my family, health, and personal projects.”
Google CEO Sundar Pichai remembered Wojcicki as an “incredible leader” who played a crucial role in the company’s success.
“Unbelievably saddened by the loss of my dear friend (Susan Wojcicki) after two years of living with cancer,” Pichai said in a statement on X. “She is as core to the history of Google as anyone, and it’s hard to imagine the world without her.
“She was an incredible person, leader and friend who had a tremendous impact on the world and I’m one of countless Googlers who is better for knowing her. We will miss her dearly.”