'Deeply saddened': Google AI chief Jeff Dean, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Sundar Pichai, other tech leaders mourn loss of Susan Wojcicki

Susan Wojcicki

Former YouTube chief executive officer (CEO) Susan Wojcicki passed away at the age of 56, after battling cancer for two years.

Wojcicki had stepped down as YouTube CEO in February 2023 after nine years.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai shared his tribute to Wojcicki in a post on X, previously Twitter:

"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 impact on the world and I’m one of countless Googlers who is better for knowing her. We will miss her dearly. Our thoughts with her family. RIP Susan," he wrote.

Former MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar also took to X and wrote:

This is very sad news

Every story written or told abt @Google which Ive read has her at its core - from letting out her garage to first marketing mgr to spotting youtube opportunity #RIP@SusanWojcickihttps://t.co/z8JqOdh8t2 — Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Google AI chief Jeff Dean also expressed his grief. He wrote on X: "I am deeply saddened by the passing of my dear colleague and friend Susan Wojcicki. She has had a profound influence on everyone at Google and impacted the lives of so many. My heart goes out to her entire family and to all who knew her."

"Her legacy lives on in everything she touched Google and YouTube," says YouTube CEO Neal Mohan.

Mohan shared on X: Today we @youtube lost a teammate, mentor, and friend, @SusanWojcicki. I had the good fortune of meeting Susan 17 years ago when she was the architect of the DoubleClick acquisition. Her legacy lives on in everything she touched @google and @youtube. I am forever grateful for her friendship and guidance. I will miss her tremendously. My heart goes out to her family and loved ones."

"Extremely kind and helpful," says Perplexity.ai CEO Aravind Srinivas. Srinivas wrote on X: Really sad to hear the passing of @SusanWojcicki. She was an extremely kind human being and was very helpful to us as an investor and gave sharp advice at a time when I wasn’t quite sure what the future of this space looked like. Wishing her family all the strength to recover."