A Conversation with Tim Cook about Silicon Valley, Susan Wojcicki, and the Birth of Silicon Valley: A Journey in a Complex Universe

Tim Cook also expressed his grief in the passing of Julie Wojcicki. She was one of the most visionary people in Silicon Valley. May she rest in peace,” he wrote on X.

The world is built by people and what Susan built in an incredibly complex environment is very special and head and shoulders above what others created. I’m so sad to have lost her,” Hank Green wrote on X.

Her father was a physicist at Stanford University, where she grew up. There, she developed a passion for innovation and making a difference in the world. (Her two younger sisters, Anne and Janet, also went on to become powerhouses in their own respective fields.)

She devoted herself to improving the workplace for women and parents. At Google, she was the first to take parental leave and continued to advocate for such policies in the workforce.

“I took on each challenge that came my way because it had a mission that benefited so many people’s lives around the world: finding information, telling stories and supporting creators, artists, and small businesses. I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished. It’s been exhilarating, meaningful, and all-consuming,” she said in a blog post.

Susan put others first, both in her values and the day to day. She was kind to me when I was a prospective Noogler 20 years ago. She took me for an ice cream and a walk around campus after I was done with my job interview. I was sold – on Google and Susan.

Her captivating graduation speech at John Hopkins University was also featured in the news. There, she reflected on her career and the nature of opportunities.

In memoriam Susan Wojcicki, a Trailblazer, Mentor, and Citizen-Kirchhoff-Levine-Mohan

“Rarely are opportunities presented to you in the perfect way, in a nice little box with a yellow bow on top,” she said. “Opportunities, the good ones, they’re messy and confusing and hard to recognize. They’re risky. They challenge you.”

On Saturday, the head of YouTube, Neal Mohan, who assumed the role after Wojcicki, wrote on X that YouTube lost “a teammate, mentor, and friend. … I am eternally grateful for her guidance. I will miss her more and more. My thoughts are with her family and loved ones.

Marc Benioff, CEO and co-founder of Salesforce, described Wojcicki — who was on Salesforce’s board — as a trailblazer and an example of great leadership. She had a remarkable ability to lead with grace and vision. He said that her kindness, wise counsel, and philanthropy touched a lot of lives.

John Green said, “She was (very quietly) the single biggest donor to our project supporting maternal health in Sierra Leone. She didn’t ask for attention or credit for her gifts, she support our project and many others privately. An exceptional leader and person.”

Susan’s journey, from renting the garage to Larry and Sergey, to leading teams across consumer products and building our Ads business, is inspiring by any measure. But she didn’t stop there. Susan used her position to build a better workplace for everyone, and she was one of the first to take maternity leave. And in the years that followed, her advocacy around parental leave set a new standard for businesses everywhere. Susan was also deeply passionate about education. She realized early on that YouTube could be a learning platform for the world and championed “edutubers” — especially those who extended the reach of STEM education to underserved communities.