Longtime YouTube boss Susan Wojcicki, who played a key role in Google's history on several occasions, has died at the age of 56. She had been living with lung cancer for two years, Google boss Sundar Pichai wrote in an email to employees on the occasion of her death. Wojcicki had given up leadership of the video platform last year to focus on her health.
Wojcicki rented garage to Google founder
In 1998, the then Intel manager rented her garage to the two Google founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. She was one of the company's first employees – and was involved in setting up the advertising system with which Google makes its money. She is also considered a driving force behind the purchase of the company DoubleClick, with which Google cemented its leading position in the online advertising market in the USA.
Took over as CEO of YouTube in 2014.
A few years after its founding, Wojcicki oversaw Google's own video service – and recommended the $1.65 billion acquisition of the start-up YouTube in 2006. Under the Internet company's direction, YouTube became the world's largest video platform. Wojcicki then took over the leadership of YouTube in 2014.
In his email, Pichai also recalled how Wojcicki lightened the mood during his job interview two decades ago by buying him ice cream and taking him on a tour of the Google campus.
