Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki Dies at 56—Check Out the Causes of Her Death
Susan Wojcicki, the former CEO of YouTube and a long-time executive at Google, passed away on Friday, August 9, at the age of 56 after a two-year battle with lung cancer.
Her husband, Dennis Troper, announced the news in a heartfelt Facebook post: “It is with profound sadness that I share the news of Susan Wojcicki’s passing. 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.”
Wojcicki was a pioneering figure in the tech industry, joining Google in 1999 as one of its earliest employees. Her leadership played a significant role in the success of both Google and YouTube, where she served as CEO for nine years. In February 2023, Wojcicki stepped down from her role at YouTube after 25 years with Alphabet/Google to focus on her family, health, and personal projects.
Wojcicki married Dennis Troper in 1998, and together they had five children. Earlier this year, in February, the couple experienced a devastating loss when their 19-year-old son, Marco Troper, was found dead in a dorm room at the University of California, Berkeley. A coroner’s report revealed that Marco had died from a combination of high levels of alprazolam, cocaine, amphetamine, and hydroxyzine, along with low levels of THC. The levels of alprazolam and cocaine in his system were determined to be fatal.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai paid tribute to Wojcicki, remembering her as an “incredible leader” who had a profound impact on the company’s success. “Unbelievably saddened by the loss of my dear friend Susan Wojcicki after two years of living with cancer,” Pichai said in a statement on X. “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.”
Pichai also noted Wojcicki’s dedication to philanthropy, even during her own health struggles, saying, “Over the last two years, even as she dealt with great personal difficulties, Susan devoted herself to making the world better through her philanthropy, including supporting research for the disease that ultimately took her life.”
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan also honored Wojcicki, stating, “Today we at YouTube lost a teammate, mentor, and friend. 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 at 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.”