Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki died Friday at age 56 after a two-year battle with cancer.
The pioneering tech boss’s death was announced by her husband Dennis Troper, who paid tribute to her “brilliant mind” in an emotional Facebook tribute.
Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Google and Alphabet, said Wojcicki had been living with cancer for two years and that “it’s hard to imagine the world without her.”
Wojcicki’s death comes just months after her son Marco Troper died of a drug overdose.
Mother Susan was Google’s inaugural chief marketing officer in 1999 before being named CEO of YouTube in 2014.
Wojcicki became a well-known figure in Silicon Valley during her nine years at the helm of YouTube.
Earlier in her career, Wojcicki is credited with lobbying Google executives to buy YouTube.
She was announced as CEO in 2014 and the following year was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME magazine.
He resigned from the company in early 2023, saying he had “decided to start a new chapter focused on my family, my health and the personal projects that I am passionate about.”
Wojcicki and her husband Dennis Troper had five children together
In his post sharing the news of his wife’s death, Troper said Wojcicki “was not only my best friend and life partner, 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 at this time.”
Wojcicki was also known as one of the first 20 employees of Google, which bought YouTube in 2006 for $1.6 billion.
In his post about her death, Pichai said Wojcicki was “as central to the Google story as anyone.”
“She was an incredible person, leader and friend who had a tremendous impact on the world and I am one of countless Googlers who is better for knowing her,” he wrote.
Wojcicki’s death comes just months after her son Marco Troper died of a drug overdose.
“We will miss her very much. Our thoughts are with her family. Rest in peace, Susan.”
Wojcicki and her husband Dennis Troper had five children together, however their family experienced tragedy earlier this year when their son Marco was found dead.
Marco died inside a dormitory at the University of California, Berkeley, of a suspected drug overdose, at age 19.
Her grandmother, Esther Wojcicki, confirmed her death in a Facebook post shared in February.
“Yesterday my family suffered a tragedy. My beloved grandson Marco Troper, age 19, passed away yesterday. Our family is devastated beyond belief,” wrote Esther Wojcicki.
An autopsy report found high concentrations of cocaine, amphetamine and Xanax in her system at the time of her death.
The report also stated that Marco suffered from “chronic substance abuse” and fractured his right wrist two weeks before his death.
