People I (Mostly) Admire 5. Susan Wojcicki: “Hey, Let’s Go Buy YouTube!”
Jan 31, 2026
Susan Wojcicki, former Google early hire and longtime YouTube CEO. She recalls renting Google’s garage, explains why Google bought YouTube, and discusses scaling platforms, responsibility for harmful content, moderation strategies, and balancing regulation with company-driven fixes.
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Google Started In Her Garage
- Susan Wojcicki rented her garage to Sergey Brin and Larry Page when Google was a tiny startup.
- She enjoyed late-night talks with them and watched the company grow from her house.
Clicks Turned Search Into Real Ads
- Google discovered value by measuring click-through and shifting to cost-per-click pricing.
- That simple metric made search ads relevant and significantly increased revenue.
Automation Replaced Manual Ad Sales
- Google automated ad pricing using a Vickrey second-price auction across all inventory.
- Automation replaced manual sales and optimized pricing by supply and demand.