Google employees,
By now, you may have heard the news that Susan Wojcicki has passed away after a two-year battle with lung cancer. Even as I write this, it seems impossible to me that it is true. Susan was one of the most vibrant and active people I have ever known. Her loss is devastating to all of us who know and love her, to the thousands of Google employees she led over the years, and to the millions of people around the world who admired her, benefited from her support and leadership, and felt the impact of the incredible things she created at Google, YouTube, and beyond.
Susan’s journey—from renting a garage for Larry and Sergey, to leading teams in consumer products, to building our ads business, to becoming the CEO of YouTube, one of the world’s largest platforms—is inspiring by any measure. But she didn’t stop there. As one of Google’s first employees (and the first to take maternity leave), Susan used her position to create a better workplace for everyone. And in the years that followed, her advocacy for maternity leave set a new standard for companies around the world. Susan was also passionate about education. She realized early on that YouTube could be a learning platform for the world, and championed “edutubers,” especially those who extended the reach of STEM education to underserved communities.
Over the past two years, even as she faced great personal hardships, Susan dedicated herself to making the world a better place through her philanthropy, including supporting research into the disease that ultimately took her life. I know that was very meaningful to her, and I'm so glad she took the time to do so.
Susan always put others first, both in her values and in her day-to-day life. I will never forget her kindness to me when I was a prospective “Noogler” 20 years ago. During my interview at Google, she took me out for ice cream and a walk around campus. She won me over… Google and Susan.
I feel very fortunate to have spent so many years working closely with Susan, as I'm sure many of you do. She was so loved by her teams here. Her time on Earth was all too brief, but she made every minute count.
We are in close contact with Susan's family, including her husband and fellow Googler, Dennis. We will share more information soon about how we will celebrate her incredible life. In the meantime, let's honor Susan's memory and continue to build a Google she can be proud of.
-Sundar
