Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki shares a final message three months after her death from lung cancer
Good morning! Qiming Venture Partners prepares for a leadership transition, Bluesky’s CEO calls the platform “billionaire proof,” and Susan Wojcicki shares a final message.
– Letter for lung cancer. Three months after Susan Wojcicki’s death from lung cancer at age 56, the former YouTube CEO has shared a final message. YouTube posted on its blog this morning a letter written by Wojcicki in the weeks before her death.
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and Wojcicki wanted to share what she learned about lung cancer—including that it is the No. 1 cause of cancer death in women and the second most common type of cancer in women. Lung cancer is underfunded compared to other cancers, Wojciki wrote, adding that she planned to use her time and resources fighting for cures for cancer and lung cancer.
Wojcicki also shared a bit about her own experience. “At the end of 2022, I was diagnosed with lung cancer,” she wrote. “I had almost no symptoms and was running a few miles a day at the time. I had never smoked so I was totally shocked with this diagnosis.” She wrote that she nearly immediately decided to resign as CEO of YouTube, but continued to serve on the boards of Salesforce, Planet Labs, and Waymo, while spending her time focusing on her health, her family, and cancer research, donating millions of dollars to the cause.
She ended her letter with this message: “Having cancer hasn’t been easy. As a person I have changed a lot, and probably the most important lesson I have learned is just to focus and enjoy the present,” she wrote. “Life is unpredictable for everyone, with many unknowns, but there is a lot of beauty in everyday life. My goals going forward are to enjoy the present as much as possible and fight for better understanding and cures for this disease.”
Read her full letter here.
Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
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ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
– Billionaire proof. Bluesky CEO Jay Graber called her platform “billionaire proof,” given its open source design; if the company went down or were to be acquired, users could leave and bring their followers with them. Bluesky has skyrocketed in popularity post-election and now has more than 21 million users. CNBC
– Backing the bid. WNBA player Caitlin Clark joined the ownership group working to bring a professional women’s soccer team to Cincinnati. In addition to Cincinnati, groups from Cleveland, Denver, Nashville, and Philadelphia are bidding for an NWSL expansion team in their city in 2026. ESPN
– Transition time. Chinese venture capital firm Qiming Venture Partners is planning changes in leadership as it gets ready to raise between $800 million to $1 billion for its new U.S.-dollar fund in 2025. One upcoming shift: managing partner Nisa Leung, who appeared on Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Asia list, will be stepping back from her position to let younger partners step up at the firm. The Information
– Shift in strategy. After the election, abortion rights groups are focusing less on ballot initiatives and more on defending current abortion protections and fighting further restrictions. “We’re going to use every tool available to us, whether with the courts, legislatures or governors, or in the streets,” said ACLU policy director Jessica Arons. The 19th
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
WSP, an engineering and professional services firm, appointed Angela Schwarz to transit and rail market leader. The company also appointed Evans Benson to deputy transit and rail market leader. Most recently, Schwarz and Benson served as SVPs at the company.
FerenComm, a public relations firm for the entertainment industry, named Krista Zoch and Emily Hunter to senior vice presidents. Previously, Zoch and Hunter were VPs at the firm.
Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners, an energy transition infrastructure-focused investment manager, named Hilkka Komulainen global head of sustainability and impact, succeeding Anne Foster. Previously, Komulainen was head of responsible investment at Aegon UK. The firm also appointed Cathy Jones as chief people officer. Most recently, Jones was head of HR business partners UK and Europe at CVC Capital Partners.
Instabase, an AI-powered platform for content activation, appointed Junie Dinda as CMO. Most recently, Dinda was chief marketing and operating officer at Secure Code Warrior.
Ironclad, a digital contracting platform, named Jasmine Singh general counsel. Most recently, she was Binti’s general counsel and chief legal officer.
Transom Capital Group, a private equity firm, named Dana Goldstein head of investor relations and marketing. Most recently, she was managing director, investor relations at Anthos Capital.
Flywire, a global payments company, appointed Carleigh Jaques to its board of directors. Most recently, she served as SVP, global head of risk and identity solutions at Visa.
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PARTING WORDS
“It’s a privilege to age, and we should see it that way…We should feel like the crown jewels of our society.”
— Actor Halle Berry on aging
