David Bridges
Some super-rich people wanted another super-rich person for their corporation, but the latter rich person decided that they wanted to stay loyal to the current overlords than jump ship. There, that’s the entire story, everyone can head home now. I think the vibe that I’m attempting to emulate here is less disdain over another boring corporate story (although some of that’s here), and more annoyance over dealing with such an uninteresting story. Although other people can find this interesting, I don’t have a monopoly over what commands another’s attention, I don’t care for such stories. However, the job’s been assigned, and I’ll trudge through this article as effectively as I can. Let’s get down to brass tacks, and discuss Susan Wojcicki’s attitude towards being offered a job at Tesla.
Wojcicki isn’t exactly the most beloved figure within the YouTube space, but if I’m being honest, she’s not the worst either. Her current tenure as CEO of YouTube has been marked by attempts towards marketing the platform as more advertiser-friendly; i.e. the promotion of content that is safe, wholesome, and attracts kids. Many people have (rightfully so) criticized her for YouTube’s poorly defined policies; videos with “edgy” content get regularly demonetized, but Logan Paul makes a video disrespecting suicide and serious ramifications only follow after severe public outrage. Ultimately, she’s just another corporate person, looking to make money by appealing to middle America or whatever the new buzzword is for a general audience.
Her position as YouTube CEO was also more than guaranteed, considering just how long Wojcicki has worked with Google. She’s been with the company since its inception, with Google’s first offices being set up in her parent’s garage. She was also responsible for the purchase of YouTube and was the first product manager for AdSense; making her the CEO of YouTube was a no-brainer at this point. However, things would have looked much different if Susan Wojcicki had taken up a job offer from Tesla back in 2014.
This was a transitional period for Google and Alphabet as a whole. Larry Page was leaving the company and handing over the reins to Sundar Pichai. This in and of itself was surprising to many people who worked at the company, since they expected Wojcicki to herself be next in line. Tesla approached the product manager at around this time with an offer to become the company’s COO; a position as Elon Musk’s right-hand woman. However, she ultimately expressed loyalty to the company at its core and was soon promoted to YouTube CEO. All’s well that ends well, I guess; then again, whatever route Susan Wojcicki took, she was going to fail upwards.
Photo: TechCrunch
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