Google to Name Susan Wojcicki CEO of YouTube
Susan Wojcicki, one of the earliest Google employees who’s currently senior VP of ads and commerce, will become the next head of YouTube, according to reports.
Wojcicki, 45, will replace Salar Kamangar, senior VP of YouTube and video, who is expected to take on a new role within Google, The Information and Re/code reported, citing anonymous sources.
Google did not respond to a request for comment.
The decision to put Wojcicki in charge of YouTube shows how important the Internet’s No. 1 video site has become to Google, and how critical it is to the company’s future growth. In 2013, YouTube generated about $5.6 billion in gross revenue – about 10% of Google total sales — and YouTube netted $2 billion (up 66% year over year) after paying content partners, according to research firm eMarketer. Google does not break out YouTube’s financial results.
Wojcicki joined Google in 1999 as the 16th employee, becoming the search engine’s first marketing exec, and founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin initially ran the company out of her garage in Menlo Park, Calif. She cut the company’s first deals to license search technology and led the initial development of Google’s image search.
In her various stints at Google, Wojcicki has overseen product management of AdSense, Google Book Search and Google Video as well as the syndication of the company’s products. Prior to Google, she worked at Intel, Bain & Co. and R.B. Webber & Co.
In October 2010, Google appointed Kamangar — the ninth employee at the company — to be CEO of YouTube, replacing cofounder Chad Hurley. Kamangar may shift to working in the Google Ventures division, according to The Information.
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