YouTube’s top business executive, who helped build the Google unit from an upstart into a video giant, is leaving the company as it battles slowing growth and increased competition from TikTok.
Robert Kyncl will exit his position as chief business officer after more than a decade at the video platform, YouTube Chief Executive Officer Susan Wojcicki wrote in a memo to employees on Monday.
“Under his leadership, YouTube forged new relationships and partnerships in music, traditional media and tech, and our creator ecosystem—without him, the term ‘YouTuber’ wouldn’t be a mainstream term,” Wojcicki wrote in the memo. “We owe so much of our growth and impact to Robert’s leadership, and I want to celebrate his amazing contribution to YouTube.”
Kyncl, 51 years old, confirmed his departure on Twitter, saying he had “decided to move on to the next challenge.” He didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment sent to his YouTube email address.
Mary Ellen Coe, a longtime advertising sales executive at Alphabet’s
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Google, will replace Kyncl in October, according to the memo.
An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.
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