Neal Mohan, an Indian-American, is all set to become the next chief executive officer (CEO) of YouTube, replacing Susan Wojcicki who on Thursday announced that she is stepping down from her role. Wojcicki spent nine years as the head of the global online video-sharing and social media platform.
He will join a growing list of Indian-origin CEOs at the helm of US-based global giants, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. Indra Nooyi had served as PepsiCo’s CEO for 12 years before stepping down in 2018.
Who is Neal Mohan?
1. Neal Mohan graduated in electric engineering from Stanford University.
2. Mohan, a longtime lieutenant of Susan Wojcicki, joined Google with the DoubleClick acquisition in 2007.
3. Mohan was appointed chief product officer at YouTube in 2015. He focused on building YouTube Shorts, Music and subscription offerings in the role.
4. Previously, Mohan has worked with Microsoft and sits on the board of Stitch Fix and genomics and biotechnology company 23andMe.
5. Mohan said he is excited to continue this “awesome and important mission” and looking forward to a new future. “Thank you, @SusanWojcicki. It’s been amazing to work with you over the years. You’ve built YouTube into an extraordinary home for creators and viewers. I’m excited to continue this awesome and important mission. Looking forward to what lies ahead…” Mohan tweeted.
The change of guard comes as YouTube’s advertising revenue fell for the second straight quarter amid intense competition for viewing time with short-form video services such as TikTok and Facebook’s Reels, and streaming services like Netflix.