Topline
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki mulled joining Tesla before taking over Google’s video streaming service, according to an excerpt from a forthcoming book, a surprise revelation between two of the largest American companies.
Susan Wojcicki has been Youtube's CEO since 2014.
Key Facts
Wojcicki held talks to become Tesla’s chief operating officer in 2014, according to an excerpt from Bloomberg reporter Mark Bergen’s Like, Comment, Subscribe set for a September 6 release first reported by CNBC.
One of Google’s first employees, Wojcicki ultimately stayed loyal to the Silicon Valley giant and has served as YouTube’s top executive since 2014.
Google and Tesla did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Forbes Valuation
We estimate Wojcicki to be worth $765 million. Wojcicki is the 32nd wealthiest self-made woman in the U.S., according to our calculations.
Key Background
Tesla was far from the powerhouse it is today when negotiations with Wojcicki reportedly took place, delivering just over 30,000 vehicles in 2014 compared to nearly a million cars in 2021. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the wealthiest man in the world with a $255.1 billion fortune, was worth a comparatively meager $8.4 billion at the time. Wojcicki has overseen massive growth at YouTube, growing the platform to two billion monthly users. Wojcicki first joined Google in 1999 and Google cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page famously developed the company’s search engine in her Menlo Park, California garage in 1998.
Tangent
Wojcicki’s sister Anne Wojcicki, the CEO and founder of 23AndMe, was married to Brin from 2007 to 2015. Brin and Musk had a falling out after the Tesla CEO had an affair with Brin’s second wife Nicole Shanahan leading to the couple’s divorce, the Wall Street Journal reported last month. Both Musk and Shanahan deny the affair took place.
Further Reading
America’s Richest Self-Made Women (Forbes)
