Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki Dies After 2-Year-Long Battle With Cancer, Sundar Pichai Pays Tribute: 'I'm One Of Countless Googlers Who Is Better For Knowing Her' (Updated)

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with more details.

The tech industry is mourning the loss of Susan Wojcicki, the former CEO of YouTube, who has succumbed to cancer. Her death has sparked a wave of tributes, including a heartfelt message from Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google-parent Alphabet Inc.

What Happened: Dennis Troper, Wojcicki’s husband, first announced her passing in a Facebook post. Troper expressed deep sorrow over the loss of his wife of 26 years and the mother of their five children.

“My beloved wife of 26 years and mother to our five children left us today after 2 years of living with non-small cell lung cancer,” he posted along with some photographs of the former YouTube CEO.

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Soon after the news, Pichai took to X, formerly Twitter, and described Wojcicki as being as integral to the history of Google as anyone. “I'm one of countless Googlers who is better for knowing her. We will miss her dearly,” he stated.

Unbelievably saddened by the loss of my dear friend @SusanWojcicki after two years of living with cancer. 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…

— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) August 10, 2024

Why It Matters: Wojcicki’s death comes as a significant blow to the tech industry and her family, who had already suffered a tragic loss earlier this year.

In February, Marco Troper, Wojcicki’s 19-year-old son, was found dead in his dorm at UC Berkeley. The cause of death was suspected to be a drug overdose.

Wojcicki stepped down as YouTube CEO in February 2023 after leading the platform for nine years. She was succeeded by Neal Mohan. She also played a crucial role in Google’s early days by renting out her parents’ garage to co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998, from where they launched the company.

She joined Google a year later as its 16th employee and dedicated 25 years to the tech giant.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Photo courtesy: Wikimedia