Susan Wojcicki, the former CEO of YouTube and a trailblazer in the technology industry, tragically passed away after a two-year battle with non-small cell lung cancer on May 31, 2024. Her death came just six months after the heartbreaking loss of her 19-year-old son, Marco Troper, who died from an accidental drug overdose in his dorm room at the University of California, Berkeley.
Susan Wojcicki was a significant figure in the tech world, known for her pivotal role at Google and later YouTube. Joining Google in 1999 as one of its first employees, Wojcicki quickly established herself as a driving force behind some of the company's most critical developments. She was instrumental in launching Google Video in 2005 and played a key role in the acquisition of YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006, a move that would later shape the future of online video content.
In 2014, Wojcicki became the CEO of YouTube, a position she held for nine years. During her tenure, YouTube grew exponentially, reaching over 2 billion logged-in users each month, with users watching more than a billion hours of content daily. By 2021, under her leadership, YouTube had paid out more than $30 billion to creators, artists, and media companies. Additionally, Wojcicki was a strong advocate for increasing diversity within the tech industry, raising the percentage of female employees at YouTube from 24% to nearly 30% during her time as CEO.
In 2023, Wojcicki stepped down from her role to focus on her family, health, and personal projects, although she planned to remain involved with Google's parent company, Alphabet, in an advisory capacity. Her successor, Neal Mohan, took over as CEO of YouTube.
The Tragic Death of Marco Troper
Just six months before Wojcicki's passing, the family was struck by another tragedy. Her son, Marco Troper, was found dead in his dorm room at UC Berkeley on February 13, 2024. The Alameda County Sheriff's Office later confirmed that Marco had died from an accidental drug overdose. The coroner's report revealed that Marco had high levels of cocaine, amphetamine, alprazolam (commonly known as Xanax), and hydroxyzine in his system. The report concluded that Marco's death was caused by "acute combined drug toxicity" and that the overdose was accidental.
Authorities found an "abundance" of illegal and prescription drugs, including Percocet and Oxycodone, in Marco's dorm room. There were no signs of physical trauma, and the investigation into his death was eventually closed. According to medical records, Marco had been struggling with chronic substance abuse and had recently fractured his wrist in a scooter accident two weeks prior to his death.
A Family in Mourning
The death of Susan Wojcicki, following so closely after the loss of her son, has left her family and the tech community reeling. Susan's husband, Dennis Troper, announced her death in a heartfelt post, expressing the profound sadness of losing his wife of 26 years and the mother of their five children. "It is with profound sadness that I share the news of Susan Wojcicki's passing. My beloved wife of 26 years and mother to our five children left us today after two years of living with non-small cell lung cancer," he wrote.
The tech community, too, has expressed its grief. Google CEO Sundar Pichai paid tribute to Wojcicki on social media, describing her as an integral part of Google's history and expressing how hard it is to imagine the world without her.
