Susan Wojcicki, the former YouTube CEO, passed away this year after a two-year-long battle with cancer. She was instrumental in building Google into what it is today. Months after her demise on August 9, her final letter, penned weeks before her death, was recently released in recognition of Lung Cancer Awareness Month. In the message, Wojcicki detailed her painful journey with the illness and the critical need for improved care.
Wojcicki's Cancer Battle
In her emotional final letter, Susan Wojcicki wrote, "At the end of 2022, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. I had almost no symptoms and was running a few miles a day at the time. I had never smoked so I was totally shocked with this diagnosis. My life changed dramatically after that day."
Wojcicki spoke about the misconceptions and stigma associated with such terminal illnesses. She added, "I decided to resign from my role as CEO of YouTube, to focus on my health and my family. I was able to live an almost normal life, thanks to modern medicine."
"Having cancer hasn't been easy. As a person, I have changed a lot, and probably the most important lesson I have learned is just to focus and enjoy the present! Life is unpredictable for everyone, with many unknowns, but there is a lot of beauty in everyday life," Wojcicki wrote.
Wojcicki remained positive until the end of her life. "My goals going forward are to enjoy the present as much as possible and fight for better understanding and cures for this disease," she wrote in her letter. Wojcicki's husband, Dennis Troper, shared the news of her passing in a heartfelt post on Facebook on August 9.
Susan Wojcicki Legacy
Dennis Topper wrote, ''It is with profound sadness that I share the news of Susan Wojcicki 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. Susan was not just my best friend and partner in life, but a brilliant mind, a loving mother, and a dear friend to many."
He continued, "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 as we navigate this difficult time.''
Who was Susan Wojcicki?
Susan was vital to the growth and inception of Google right from the grassroots. She first became a part of the company around 1998 after renting the garage of her California home to Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The duo was friends with Wojcicki and, at the time, were Ph.D. students at Stanford.
Soon after Google was founded, Susan joined the company as the 16th employee as its first marketing executive.
It was reportedly her idea to acquire YouTube after noticing its potential value in the platform's early days, which now is one of the major profit centres for the company. Soon after, she took the position of CEO of YouTube in 2014.
TechCrunch reported that YouTube posted $8.1 billion in revenue through ad sales in 2023. This accounts for a major chunk of Alphabet's total revenue, almost 10%.
Condolences from colleagues and friends
After 25 years of working with the company, Wojcicki stepped down from the post of CEO in 2023. Her successor, Neal Mohan also offered condolences on X.
''Her legacy lives on in everything she touched @google and @youtube. I am forever grateful for her friendship and guidance,'' he wrote.
Among others, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote a heartfelt message for Susan early in the morning of August 10.
He wrote, ''She is as core to the history of Google as anyone, and it’s hard to imagine the world without her.''
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