Who is Neal Mohan? Susan Wojcicki's successor takes over as YouTube CEO as she steps down after 9 years
SANTA CARLA, CALIFORNIA: Susan Wojcicki, the CEO of YouTube and a longtime Google employee who was instrumental in the company's founding, has resigned after nine years of being in charge of the video platform that has revolutionized politics, society, and entertainment.
Wojcicki, 54, announced her resignation in an email to YouTube staff members that was made public on Thursday, February 16, 2023. She explained that she is leaving the company to "start a new chapter focused on my family, health, and personal initiatives I'm passionate about." She didn't go into detail about her plans. Additionally, Neal Mohan, her longstanding lieutenant, took over the position on the same day.
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Who is Neal Mohan?
Neal Mohan, a Stanford alumnus who joined Google in 2008, oversaw YouTube's Shorts and Music departments as its Chief Product Officer. He has worked with Microsoft and serves on the boards of 23andMe and the personal styling business Stitch Fix. Also, he belongs to the Council on International Relations, a free-standing American think organization, as reported by Indian Express.
Since he was appointed Chief Product Officer in 2015, Mohan has contributed to managing and releasing YouTube's other key products, according to Fast Company. “The best analogy that comes to mind for me is really just thinking about YouTube as a stage,” he told Fast Company in 2022. Viewers need “the best views possible of the creators that they’re most excited about.”
He was apparently offered the Chief Product Officer role at Twitter, according to a 2013 Business Insider article, but Google spent close to $100 million to keep him. He was also described as a "rare" mix by a former supervisor, "an 'insatiable technologist' who also had enough business sense" to engage with clients strategically.
Indian-born Mohan is one of several CEOs overseeing other major global tech companies, including Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Adobe's Shantanu Narayen, and Alphabet's Sundar Pichai. In recent years, Indian-origin CEOs have also led other venerable US corporations, including FedEx, one of the largest providers of transportation services in the world, and Starbucks, where Laxman Narasimhan is poised to take the helm.
Susan Wojcicki says it is the 'best decision'
Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the co-founders of Google, rented the garage of Wojcicki's Menlo Park, California, residence for $1,700 per month shortly after they turned their search engine into a corporation. Page and Brin, both 25 years old at the time, worked on perfecting their search engine in Wojcicki's garage for five months before transferring Google into a more official workplace and convincing their former landlord to join their company. In her announcement of her leaving, Wojcicki stated, "It would be one of the best decisions of my life."
Wojcicki's house was purchased by Google in 2006 as a memorial to the company's beginnings, which are now valued at $1.2 trillion. When Brin wed her sister Anne in 2007, he became Wojcicki's brother-in-law during her time at Google. In 2015, Brin and Anne Wojcicki got divorced, as reported by CBC News.
YouTube is having difficulties
When Wojcicki first joined Google, she was in charge of marketing. She later helped develop the company's online advertising division and oversaw its attempt to compete with YouTube by running its video service. She ultimately argued that Google ought to purchase the website instead. She made it a priority to make YouTube more approachable to marketers while also trying to control the sizable and unruly group of video producers that drove the site.
For Google, which acquired the website in 2006, and Alphabet, the holding company that houses both of them, YouTube grew in importance to the company's operations during her tenure. YouTube sold $29.2 billion worth of advertisements in 2022, accounting for more than 10% of Alphabet's overall income.
VOX reported, this occasionally drew criticism from both insiders and outsiders who claimed that the company wasn't doing enough to stop hate speech and other objectionable content. The former group included video creators who claimed that YouTube's rule changes and moderation decisions made it difficult for them to make a living. In a 2019 interview, Wojcicki said, "We managed to upset everybody."
Wojcicki and Mohan have collaborated closely for years. Mohan has been Wojcicki's No 2 at YouTube since 2015. The two of them first collaborated on developing Google's display advertising business. “Susan has built an exceptional team and has in Neal a successor who is ready to hit the ground running and lead YouTube through its next decade of success,” stated Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.
The resignation of Wojcicki also carries significant symbolism for Google and technology in general. She has long been one of the incredibly few women running a significant tech company. She also played a crucial role in the founding of Google in 1998 and a year later, she became the company's 16th employee.
“Susan has a unique place in Google history and has made the most incredible contribution to products used by people everywhere,” Page and Brin said in a statement. “We’re so grateful for all she’s done over the last 25 years,” they added.