Dear Googlers,
You may have already heard the news that Susan Wojcicki has passed away after a two-year battle with lung cancer. As I write this, I still can’t believe it’s true. Susan was one of the most dynamic and vibrant people I’ve ever met. Her passing is heartbreaking for all of us who knew and loved her, for the thousands of Googlers she led over the years, and for the millions of people around the world who looked up to her, benefited from her activism and leadership, and felt the impact of the great things she created at Google, YouTube, and beyond.
Susan’s journey is inspiring in every way, from renting a garage with Larry and Sergey to leading a consumer products team to build an advertising business to becoming CEO of one of the most important platforms in the world: YouTube. But she didn’t stop there. As one of Google’s first employees and the first to take maternity leave, Susan used her position to build a better work environment for everyone. And in the years that followed, her advocacy for parental leave set a new standard for every company. Susan also had a deep passion for education. She realized early on that YouTube could be a learning platform for the world, and she supported “edutubers,” who specifically extended STEM education to underserved communities.
Over the past two years, Susan has faced great personal challenges and dedicated herself to making the world a better place through her charitable work, including supporting research into the disease that ultimately took her life. I know it meant a lot to her, and I’m so glad she made the time to do so.
Susan always put others first, both in her values and in her daily life. I will never forget the kindness she showed me as a future “New Grammer” 20 years ago. During my interview at Google, she took me out for ice cream and walked around the campus. I fell in love with Google and with Susan.
As I’m sure you all agree, I was incredibly lucky to work closely with Susan over the years. She was dearly loved by the team here, and although her time on this earth was all too short, she cherished every minute.
We are in close contact with Susan’s family, including her husband and fellow Googler, Dennis, and will share more details soon about how we plan to celebrate her incredible life. In the meantime, let’s honour Susan’s memory and continue to build a Google that she would have been proud of.
-Thunder
