Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube and one of the original Google workers, said on Thursday that she would step down from her position at the video platform. She helped in building Google which started from her garage nearly 25 years prior. She made the announcement in a personal update on the video-sharing website.
Neal Mohan, a senior advertising and product executive who joined Google in 2008, will succeed Wojcicki, 54, as her replacement.
In the midst of fierce competition for viewers’ attention from short-form video services like TikTok and Facebook’s Reels, as well as streaming services like Netflix, the change of guard comes as YouTube’s advertising revenue declined for the second consecutive quarter.
2015 saw the appointment of Mohan, a Stanford alum, as YouTube’s chief product officer. In his job, he concentrated on expanding YouTube Shorts, Music, and subscription options.
Prior to joining Google in 2008, he worked at DoubleClick for almost six years. After that, he spent roughly eight years as Google’s senior vice president of display and video advertising.
One of the most well-known women in technology, Wojcicki stated that she will prioritise “family, health, and personal initiatives” and that she will join Alphabet’s advisory board.
In 2014, she was appointed CEO of YouTube from her previous position as senior vice president for advertising products at Google.
“It strikes me as a forced exit caused by YouTube’s under-performance in recent quarters… What’s less clear is whether Mohan, who’s had a relatively low profile to date, has the leadership qualities to get YouTube back on track,” said Paul Verna, an analyst with Insider Intelligence, a market research company.
After the news, Alphabet shares decreased by less than 1%, barely changing for the day.
