Susan Wojcicki Steps Down as YouTube CEO, Neil Mohan to Take Over

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has announced her departure from the company after nine years at the helm of the world’s largest online video platform. In a blog post, Wojcicki reflected on her 25-year career at Google, where she began as a marketing manager and rose through the ranks to lead the company’s video and book search, AdSense, and YouTube divisions.

Wojcicki was instrumental in the acquisition of YouTube by Google in 2006 and has been a key figure in the development of the platform over the past nine years. During her tenure, she has overseen the creation of the largest creative economy in the world, supporting millions of creators and artists, and has helped to grow YouTube into the behemoth that it is today.

However, Wojcicki has now decided to step down from her role to focus on her family, health, and personal projects. In her blog post, she said, “The time is right for me, and I feel able to do this because we have an incredible leadership team in place at YouTube.”

Neil Mohan, YouTube’s Chief Product Officer, will take over as the new head of the company. Wojcicki praised Mohan, who she has worked with for nearly 15 years, as a “terrific leader” who has a “wonderful sense” for the product, the business, the creator and user communities, and the employees.

Mohan joined Google as part of the DoubleClick acquisition in 2007 and has been with YouTube since its acquisition by Google. He has been the Chief Product Officer since 2015 and has been instrumental in the launch of several of YouTube’s biggest products, including YouTube TV, YouTube Music and Premium and Shorts. He has also led the Trust and Safety team, ensuring that YouTube lives up to its responsibility as a global platform.

Wojcicki said she would support Mohan and help with the transition, which will include continuing to work with some YouTube teams and meeting with creators. In the longer term, she has agreed with Google CEO Sundar Pichai to take on an advisory role across Google and Alphabet.

The news of Wojcicki’s departure comes at a challenging time for YouTube, as the company faces increasing competition from TikTok and slowing revenue growth. Ad spend has reduced, and YouTube is still figuring out how to best monetize its own product, YouTube Shorts. Despite these challenges, the future looks bright for the company under Mohan’s leadership.

Wojcicki’s departure has been met with sadness and appreciation from the YouTube community. Creators and artists have taken to social media to express their gratitude for her support and to wish her well in her future endeavors.