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Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki Passes Away at 56 After Battle with Lung Cancer

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Susan Wojcicki, the former CEO of YouTube and a pivotal figure in the tech industry, passed away on Saturday at the age of 56 following a two-year battle with lung cancer. Wojcicki, who was married for 26 years and a mother of five, was celebrated for her contributions to Google and YouTube, where she played a key role in shaping the modern internet landscape.

Wojcicki joined Google in 1999, becoming one of its earliest employees. She was instrumental in the company’s acquisition of YouTube in 2006 for $1.65 billion, later taking over as YouTube’s CEO in 2014. During her tenure, she transformed YouTube into one of the most influential platforms in the world. In 2023, she stepped down from her role to focus on her family, health, and personal projects, but continued to serve as an advisor to Alphabet, Google’s parent company.

Her husband, Dennis Troper, expressed deep sorrow over her passing, highlighting her commitment to philanthropy, even as she faced personal challenges. Google CEO Sundar Pichai also paid tribute, acknowledging her lasting impact on the industry and her dedication to cancer research.

Wojcicki’s legacy is marked by her leadership in a male-dominated industry, her advocacy for women in tech, and her role in guiding one of the most significant platforms of the digital age.

 

Cisco Plans Second Round of Layoffs Amid Shift to High-Growth Areas

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Cisco Systems (CSCO.O) is set to initiate a second round of layoffs this year, with thousands of jobs on the line as the company pivots its focus to high-growth sectors like cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI), according to sources familiar with the matter. The layoffs, which could affect a similar or slightly higher number of employees compared to the 4,000 job cuts in February, are expected to be announced alongside the company’s fourth-quarter results, potentially as early as Wednesday.

Cisco, headquartered in San Jose, California, currently employs around 84,900 people, according to its July 2023 annual filing. However, this figure does not account for the February layoffs. The company has not yet responded to requests for comment.

The company’s shares dropped nearly 1% following the news of the impending layoffs, bringing its year-to-date decline to over 9%. Cisco, known as the largest producer of routers and switches that direct internet traffic, has faced challenges such as sluggish demand and supply chain issues in its core business areas. In response, the company has been diversifying its portfolio, notably through a $28 billion acquisition of cybersecurity firm Splunk, completed in March. This move aims to reduce Cisco’s dependence on one-time equipment sales by bolstering its subscription-based services.

In addition to expanding into cybersecurity, Cisco has been integrating AI into its product offerings. The company reiterated its goal of reaching $1 billion in AI product orders by 2025 and launched a $1 billion fund in June to invest in AI startups, including Cohere, Mistral AI, and Scale AI. Over the past several years, Cisco has made 20 AI-focused acquisitions and investments.

The upcoming layoffs are part of a broader trend in the tech industry, which has been aggressively cutting costs to balance significant investments in AI. According to Layoffs.fyi, a website that tracks job cuts in the tech sector, more than 126,000 people have lost their jobs across 393 tech companies since the beginning of the year. Earlier in August, chipmaker Intel (INTC.O) announced it was reducing its workforce by over 15%, impacting around 17,500 employees, as it sought to turn around its struggling manufacturing operations.