EXTRA: Remembering Susan Wojcicki

People I (Mostly) Admire

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Society & Culture

4.6 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 13 August 2024

⏱️ 32 minutes

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Summary

The former YouTube C.E.O. — and sixteenth Google employee — died on August 9, 2024. Steve talked with her in 2020 about her remarkable career, and how her background in economics shaped her work.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I was deeply saddened to hear the news of Susan Wojiske's recent passing.
0:06.2	She'd been battling cancer for the past two years.
0:08.9	Susan was the former CEO of YouTube and the fifth guest I ever had on the show back in 2020.
0:16.3	It was right in the middle of COVID lockdown and it was the only time we ever spoke, but I've had
0:21.6	a soft spot in my heart for Susan ever since.
0:24.8	Two things stand out for me in this interview.
0:27.0	The first is said she actually gave meaningful answers to tough questions.
0:31.5	I found that most CEOs are so concerned about how they and
0:35.0	their company are perceived to think of completely nondescript responses
0:38.9	when talking in public. Susan, in contrast, seemed eager to have a real conversation.
0:44.0	The second thing that caught me off guard about the interview is that she was actually nice.
0:49.0	It's really hard to rise that high in the business world and to stay nice.
0:54.8	She will be deeply missed.
0:57.6	I'm so excited to talk today with Susan Wojiske.
1:00.8	She's the CEO of YouTube and she's just had an amazing career in tech.
1:06.1	And she's done it without really attracting all the hatred that seems to circle so many of the
1:11.1	powerful people in tech.
1:12.4	She doesn't really have any enemies.
1:14.0	I'll go to places really remote and then I'll see someone they'll be like,
1:18.0	hey, I learned Korean on YouTube, right? And so the opportunities for technology have just changed our lives in so many
1:25.0	ways and I recognize that there are all these questions about responsibility but I'm overall
1:29.9	really optimistic about our opportunities to help people all over the world have access
	...

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