What type of cancer did Susan Wojcicki have?

August 9, 2024, was an unfortunate day for the internet, as it was when Susan Wojcicki, the pioneering former CEO of YouTube, passed away at the age of 56 after a two-year battle with cancer. Wojcicki, who was a key figure in Google’s rise and the growth of YouTube into a global platform, leaves behind a legacy that has deeply impacted the tech industry.

Susan Wojcicki's husband Dennis Troper addressed her passing on Facebook, saying that she had lived with non-small cell lung cancer for two years. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer, accounting for about 85% of cases, and it generally grows and spreads more slowly than small cell lung cancer.

"Susan was not just my best friend and partner in life, but a brilliant mind, a loving mother, and a dear friend to many. Her impact on our family and the world was immeasurable.", said Dennis in his post.

Wojcicki was one of the first twenty employees at Google (Image via Dennis Troper/Facebook)

The current CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, expressed his feelings and shared a close professional and personal relationship with Wojcicki, considering her a key figure in Google's history.

Susan Wojcicki was one of the first employees at Google and played a vital role in the company's growth, later becoming its CEO. Pichai often spoke highly of her leadership, influence, and impact on the tech world. Upon her passing, Pichai expressed deep sadness, highlighting her as an "incredible person" and a dear friend whose contributions were central to Google's success.

Sundar and Susan addressing female empowerment on YouTube in an MSNBC interview back in 2018 (Image via MSNBC/YouTube)

Pichai also wrote an elaborate message on Google's 'Keyword' platform. He reminisced about their relationship, which lasted over twenty years, and praised her for being kind and energetic.

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A brief history of Susan Wojcicki working with Google

Susan Wojcicki's journey in the tech industry began in 1998 when she rented her garage to Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. This chance encounter led to her becoming Google's 16th employee and its first marketing manager in 1999

She also played a crucial role in developing Google's advertising business, notably contributing to the creation of AdSense, which significantly improved the company's revenue.

Susan advocated for Google to buy YouTube and in 2014 she became its CEO. Throughout her tenure, she aimed to be transparent with the YouTube community and its creators. She has had multiple interactions with famous YouTubers across the platform.

YouTubers MatPat (from The Game Theorists), Anthony Padilla, and Ludwig are amongst the creators who have interviewed the former YouTube CEO (Images via The Game Theorists, Ludwig, Anthony Padilla/YouTube)

Since Susan's joining in 2014, YouTube's viewership increased by about 1.5 billion viewers, and the advertisement revenue the company makes is more than seven times what it had been making ten years ago.

Susan's passing is a significant loss, not just for her family and friends, but for the broader tech community and the millions of people around the world who were touched by her work.