What pivotal roles did Susan Wojcicki play in Google's founding story?

Speaking of Susan Wojcicki, her journey with Google famously began in her own garage.

When Google's founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, were still relatively unknown students, they rented her garage in Menlo Park, California, as the company's very first "office." This led many to jokingly refer to her as "Google's landlady."

However, her role extended far beyond just being a landlady. She later joined Google as the company's 16th employee and its first marketing manager.

She made two very critical contributions to Google:

1. The birth of AdSense (Google Ad Network): Simply put, she spearheaded the development of a system that allowed thousands of ordinary websites to earn money by displaying Google ads on their sites. This product greatly expanded Google's advertising network, transforming Google from a search engine company into a true advertising empire, and becoming one of the company's most important "cash cows."

2. Championing the acquisition of YouTube: At the time, many were skeptical of YouTube, a video website that was burning through cash. However, Susan saw the immense potential of online video and strongly persuaded the founders and the board, ultimately facilitating the acquisition in 2006. Looking back now, this was undoubtedly one of the most successful acquisitions in tech history, and YouTube has become an indispensable part of Google.

Therefore, she was not only Google's "first landlady" but also a key decision-maker in the company's early commercialization and strategic planning, playing an indispensable role in Google's current standing.