YouTube

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki Says “No Timetable” On Profitability: “We’re In Investment Mode”

YouTube’s reach is unparalleled, though profitability still isn’t a focus for the 11-year-old video giant, CEO Susan Wojcicki explained, speaking yesterday at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit. Despite the fact that it has one billion monthly users and facilitates the viewership of millions of hours of content every day, “we are still in investment mode,” Wojcicki said, noting that “there’s no timetable” with regard to profitability.

While this doesn’t necessarily mean that YouTube isn’t profitable right now, notes Fortune, it means that it’s not an immediate focus. (Google doesn’t break out YouTube’s earnings separately — though the video platform is rumored to have amassed $8.5 billion in ad revenues in 2015.)

Wojcicki, who joined YouTube from a different role within parent company Google three years ago, said that declining TV viewership among young people — who today are largely watching influencer-created programming on their mobile phones — represents a huge opportunity. And in addition to continuing to invest in its creators, Wojcicki said, the company is also investing in virtual reality, emerging markets, and the living room viewing experience, she told Fortune

.

Subscribe to get the latest creator news

Subscribe

Wojcicki was joined onstage by content creator Grace Helbig, who said her talk show on E! last spring attests to an evolution in media. “It was a real experiment in ‘would a digital audience consume a more traditional form of content?’ And the answer is kind of yes and no,” Helbig said. “People really value convenience over quality sometimes. So YouTube being so readily available and so personal and intimate is something that attracts people.”

Check out Wojcicki and Helbig in conversation below:

Share
Published by
Geoff Weiss

Recent Posts

Have you heard? Kurzgesagt is not AI, John Nellis goes dancing, and Baby Shark’s K-pop idol.

Each week, we handpick a selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends,…

13 hours ago

As social media lawsuits move forward, is Section 230 facing an existential threat?

In 2026, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 is celebrating its 30th birthday. At…

14 hours ago

The World Cup put creators on the broadcast. Can KSI replicate that strategy for the club he co-owns?

When Greater London soccer club Dagenham & Redbridge FC begins its campaign for the 2026-27 season,…

17 hours ago

Spotify is cracking down on AI slop, but prompters can still post their generated music if they build a personal brand around it

Spotify is adding its own "seems like AI slop" button. Like YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and…

1 day ago

OnlyFans investor says it will “never use AI in any capacity to disrupt creators”

OnlyFans' newest investor is talking up his future plans for the platform--including promising that it…

1 day ago

Influencer endorsements have created a campaign finance loophole. A proposed law would close it.

At this point, it's become clear that social media creators will play pivotal roles in…

2 days ago