Even by the nightmarish standards of the empire she oversees, Susan Wojcicki, the chief executive officer of YouTube, has had a dreadful start to 2019.
During a single week in February, BuzzFeed reported that her company was running advertisements alongside anti-vaccine content; there was a nationwide panic over the platform abetting child suicide; and a viral video showed how pedophiles were flourishing on the site.
Thumbnail images implying human-animal sex were discovered next to children’s videos, and after an uproar, Ms. Wojcicki was obliged to call a staff meeting to address it.
In an industry that celebrates eccentricity, Ms. Wojcicki presents as exceedingly normal, bordering on boring, even as elements of her digital realm burst into the real world in forms that are increasingly grotesque and sometimes dangerous.
Ms. Wojcicki said she knew that her policy changes could “upset some people,” but “seeing that someone could be so angry that they would come here is really hard.”
Persons:
Susan Wojcicki, BuzzFeed, Wojcicki, Ms
Organizations:
YouTube, Calif
Locations:
San Bruno, cardigan