YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said she was stepping back from her role and starting a new chapter focused on family, health, and personal projects. .“The time is right for me, and I feel able to do this because we have an incredible leadership team in place at YouTube,” said Wojcicki in a Thursday letter to YouTubers. .The letter started off with her saying she joined two Stanford University graduates who were building a new search engine 25 years ago. It said she saw the potential of what these graduates were building, which she found exciting. .Wojcicki called joining Google “one of the best decisions of my life.”.The letter went on to say she's worn many hats and been in multiple roles since joining Google. These include managing marketing, leading Google’s first video and book search and the early parts of AdSense’s creation, working on YouTube and DoubleClick acquisitions, serving as senior vice-president of ads, and being YouTube CEO for the last nine years. .When she joined YouTube nine years ago, the letter said one of her first priorities was bringing in an incredible leadership team. One of these leaders was YouTube Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan, and he will be the senior vice-president and new Youtube head. .The letter said Mohan has a strong sense of its product, business, creator and user communities, and employers. It added he will make a terrific leader for it. .With all of the work YouTube is doing across Shorts, streaming, and subscriptions and developing artificial intelligence, it said the company’s most exciting opportunities are ahead. .For all of the YouTubers she had the privilege to work with, the letter said they have done so much to make the platform better over the years. They have created the largest creative economy the world has ever seen, developed new forms of art and storytelling, and supported millions of creators and artists in reaching new audiences. .She plans on supporting Mohan and helping with the transition in the short term, which will include continuing to work with some YouTube teams, coaching employees, and meeting with creators. She has agreed with Google CEO Sundar Pichai to take on an advisory role across Google and Alphabet in the long term. .Wojcicki concluded by saying she will be around, so she will be thanking all of the people who she worked with and learned from. She said she has “always dreamed of working for a company with a mission that could change the world for the better.”.“Thanks to you and your vision, I got the chance to live that dream,” she said. .“It has been an absolute privilege to be a part of it, and I’m excited for what’s next.”
