YouTube CEO Neal Mohan became the new face of the video-sharing company more than a year ago. Now, he will carry on without his mentor.

Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, who joined Google in 1999 and stepped down in February 2023, died Friday. About Wojcicki, who served as an advisor after leaving her executive post, Mohan said, "Her legacy lives on in everything she touched @google and @youtube," in a post on X, the social media network previously known as Twitter.

"I am forever grateful for her friendship and guidance," Mohan continued. "I will miss her tremendously. My heart goes out to her family and loved ones."

'It is war':Elon Musk's X sues ad industry group over 'boycott' of Twitter replacement

YouTube CEO Neal Mohan on 'leaning into change'

Mohan, who was born in Indiana but spent the second half of his childhood in India, got candid about his career in the technology industry during an October 2023 interview at his alma mater Stanford University.  

He discussed how his father graduated with a degree in information technology and wanted to earn his doctorate in the United States.  

“He was admitted to Purdue, and he was a civil engineer, so he wanted to do his Ph.D. there,” Mohan said in the interview that was posted on YouTube on Oct. 30, 2023. “He landed at JFK with $25 in his pocket and he asked the first person, first friendly face he saw, the quickest way to Lafayette, Indiana.” 

When Mohan was in high school his family moved back to India – an important decision that became a stepping stone toward his eventual career.  

“This concept of just really leaning into change, and that's been sort of a theme throughout my career,” he said. "But it was really about sort of embracing that change ultimately.” 

“Some of my best friends through life are friends that I met during high school in India. I had to learn nine year's worth of Hindi and Sanskrit,” Mohan said. “And it's really about not just surviving, it's about thriving through those types of kind of seminal sort of pivotal moments.” 

In 1996, Mohan graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering at Stanford University. In 2003, he decided to return to the university to earn a Master of Business Administration degree in general management, his LinkedIn page shows. 

Former YouTube CEO:Susan Wojcicki, dies at 56 from lung cancer

Neal Mohan’s career at YouTube started before he became CEO 

Mohan, who joined Google during the DoubleClick acquisition in 2007, said as senior vice president of display and video ads he’d often work with the founders and team at YouTube.  

Together, they would work to strategize ways to promote search and non-search advertising on the platforms, Mohan said. The time working behind the scenes, helped prepare him for his current position, he said.

“I've been at YouTube for a very long time, so obviously I'm very familiar with our products and our ecosystem," Mohan said. "But a big part of the job is different, in the sense that now I am sort of the face, obviously, of the company.”  

Mohan, who became YouTube's chief product officer in 2015, was promoted to CEO of the company after Susan Wojcicki stepped down in 2023 to spend time, she said, “focused on my family, health, and personal projects I’m passionate about.”

“I spend a lot of time with our creators,” Mohan said. “It's really about making sure that this ecosystem that we're bringing along of 2 billion users, tens of millions of creators, all of our partners, our advertisers and it's my job to really be the steward of that.”  

Susan Wojcicki dies from lung cancer, loses son months before her death

Mohan succeeded technology and business executive Wojcicki as YouTube CEO. She died Friday and was 56 years old.

Wojcicki joined Google in 1999 to become one of its first few employees, years before it acquired YouTube.

In a Facebook post Wojcicki's husband, Dennis Troper, broke the news on Friday: Wojcicki lost her battle with lung cancer.

"It is with profound sadness that I share the news of Susan Wojcicki passing," he wrote. "My beloved wife of 26 years and mother to our five children left us today after 2 years of living with non small cell lung cancer."

Wojcicki leaves behind her husband and four children. One son, Marco Troper, died earlier this year.

"Susan was not just my best friend and partner in life, but a brilliant mind, a loving mother, and a dear friend to many. Her impact on our family and the world was immeasurable," Troper wrote. "We are heartbroken, but grateful for the time we had with her. Please keep our family in your thoughts as we navigate this difficult time."

Just a few months ago in February, Susan Wojcicki and Dennis Troper lost their 19-year-old son Marco after an accidental overdose, according to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.