YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, one of the first Google employees, steps down

YouTube Chief Executive and one of the first Google employees, Susan Wojcicki, is stepping down.

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki steps down from her position. She will be replaced by YouTube chief product officer Neal Mohan. (AP)

YouTube Chief Executive and one of the first Google employees, Susan Wojcicki, is stepping down from her role at the tech giant that started in her garage nearly 25 years ago, she said in a personal update on the video-sharing platform on Thursday.

Wojcicki, 54, will be replaced by her deputy Neal Mohan.

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.

One of the most prominent women in tech, Wojcicki said she will focus on "family, health, and personal projects", and plans to take on an advisory role at Alphabet.

She was previously senior vice president for ad products at Google and became the CEO of YouTube in 2014.

Mohan, a Stanford graduate, joined Google in 2008 and is the chief product officer at YouTube where he been focusing on building YouTube Shorts and Music.

He previously spent nearly six years at DoubleClick, a company Google acquired in 2007, and later served for about eight years as senior vice president of display and video advertising at Google.

Alphabet shares were barely changed for the day, down less than 1% after the news.