Longtime YouTube Chief Executive Officer Susan Wojcicki today announced plans to step down and move to an advisory role at parent company Google LLC.

Following the departure of Wojcicki (pictured), one of the most prominent top women tech executives, YouTube will be led by Neal Mohan, its current chief product officer. The Google unit has reportedly begun the search for a new chief product officer.

“Today, after nearly 25 years here, I’ve decided to step back from my role as the head of YouTube and start a new chapter focused on my family, health, and personal projects I’m passionate about,” Wojcicki wrote in a memo sent to YouTube employees today. “The time is right for me, and I feel able to do this because we have an incredible leadership team in place at YouTube.”

Wojcicki, who rented her garage in Menlo Park, California, to Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998, joined YouTube parent Google in 1999 as one of the search giant’s first employees. She went on to become the first product manager of Google’s AdSense service, which helps publishers sell ad space on their websites to brands. Wojcicki later became responsible for Google’s entire portfolio of advertising products.

In 2006, Wojcicki recommended that the search giant acquire the then-nascent YouTube to grow its collection of online services. Wojcicki managed the $1.65 million acquisition and became the CEO of YouTube in 2014, seven years after the transaction closed. 

YouTube has experienced significant growth under Wojcicki’s leadership. The video platform generated $7.96 billion in ad revenue last quarter, which made it Google parent Alphabet Inc.’s third-largest business by sales. In recent years, YouTube has sought to unlock new revenue growth opportunities by experimenting with other monetization methods besides advertising.

The Google unit offers a streaming service called YouTube TV that features content from more than 100 television channels. Last November, YouTube debuted another subscription offering called Primetime Channels. It provides access to more than 30 streaming services through the Google unit’s app.

Google has made significant investments to grow the two services’ market share. Last December, the company inked a deal reportedly worth up to $2 billion per year to make the National Football League’s Sunday Ticket game streaming package available on YouTube TV and Primetime Channels.

“With all we’re doing across Shorts, streaming, and subscriptions, together with the promises of AI, YouTube’s most exciting opportunities are ahead, and Neal is the right person to lead us,” Wojcicki told employees in today’s memo.

Mohan has led YouTube’s product development efforts as chief product officer since 2015. Previously, he was the senior vice president of Google’s display and video advertising business. Mohan joined Google in 2007 following its acquisition of advertising technology provider DoubleClick, where he was the senior vice president of strategy and product management.

Wojcicki will stay onboard “in the short term” to assist with the leadership change at YouTube. “I plan to support Neal and help with the transition, which will include continuing to work with some YouTube teams, coaching team members, and meeting with creators,” she detailed in today’s memo. After the leadership change, Wojcicki will move to an advisory role at Google and Alphabet. 

Photo: YouTube