12/08/2024
An enormous icon of our generation has died, and I'm amazed this isn't a bigger story. Susan Wojcicki is one of the biggest names in this century's art, entertainment, and information. Her name should be as big as any of the innovators of modern times, and we should all remember it.
I'm currently writing a book about my generation; how entertainment influenced us, and how our big mark in the world has been how that generation then reshaped how entertainment is consumed. We all thought we'd be the next Spielberg, but instead we made it possible for everyone to be Spielberg through self-publishing, social media, and internet video.
That's where Wojicki's influence is so enormous. She helped bring Google and Youtube into their current forms. She helped make it possible for literally millions of voices to be heard. You ever upload a video? Thank her. You ever watch something on Youtube? Thank her.
Before her tenure at Youtube, the best you could hope for in having your videos or movies seen was to submit it to a film festival and hope there was some intern viewer there who liked your style and passed it on with a recommendation, and that the higher ups would give it a chance. Even then, though, celebrity vanity projects filled those festivals, leaving anyone who wasn't already famous out of luck.
She brought this independent media to the masses, and gave us all a chance to show what we can do. Yes, there were others involved, but she was one of the main voices. She's also one of the best female pioneers of this medium. While gatekeepers often closed out women, she helped provide a platform where women could not be rejected. You upload it, and the world can see it.
Her tenure also did what is probably the most important feature for independent video on the internet; it provided an income for creators. It's the reason Youtube videos have increased so much in quality over the past decade. Producers can now make money on their programs, and they can use those for future budgets, or simply to live on so they don't have to do it as a side hobby. As such, you have amazing programs like Time Ghost, Red Letter Media, Jake Broe, The Vlog Brothers, Crash Course, Randy Rainbow, Honest Trailers, Pitch Meeting, Julie Nolke, Angry Joe, and so, SO many more. They all owe their thanks to this woman.
Susan Wojcicki's contribution to our culture is beyond measure. She was a true champion of independent arts and entertainment. Her accomplishments can be seen across the internet, and will last for lifetimes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaLcq8jaUDQ
Wojcicki, the former YouTube CEO and longtime Google executive, died from non-small cell lung cancer.