WEBVTT - Susan Wojcicki 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:02.679 Hi everyone, I'm Emily Chang and this is Bloomberg Studio 0:00:02.759 --> 0:00:04.680 one point oh, a series where I speak with the 0:00:04.720 --> 0:00:08.440 biggest influencers in technology and media. This is where we 0:00:08.480 --> 0:00:11.559 have in depth conversations with the very people shaping the 0:00:11.560 --> 0:00:14.480 future of innovation and business and hear their vision for 0:00:14.600 --> 0:00:18.120 what comes next. Today we dive deep down the YouTube 0:00:18.160 --> 0:00:20.639 rabbit hole with the CEO of the world's most popular 0:00:20.720 --> 0:00:26.080 video network. Since the very first YouTube video was uploaded 0:00:26.160 --> 0:00:29.680 sixteen years ago, YouTube has exploded to more than two 0:00:29.680 --> 0:00:32.800 billion users in the farthest corners of the planet, now 0:00:32.920 --> 0:00:36.440 raking in billions of dollars every year. It's evolved a 0:00:36.440 --> 0:00:39.000 long way from cat videos to become a one click 0:00:39.120 --> 0:00:43.879 journey to the center of the zeitgeist, pop culture and 0:00:44.080 --> 0:00:50.040 kid culture, amplifying some of the brightest and sometimes darkest 0:00:50.040 --> 0:00:53.199 traits in all of us. While YouTube has elevated a 0:00:53.280 --> 0:00:58.040 generation of creators and educated and entertained generations of viewers, 0:00:58.480 --> 0:01:03.400 it's fought misinformation, terrorism, racism, and violence many clicks along 0:01:03.440 --> 0:01:07.160 the way. Lately, YouTube's biggest battles are focused on eliminating 0:01:07.240 --> 0:01:10.880 COVID and vaccine misinformation and keeping the platform safe for 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:13.760 kids and teens. On this edition of the Bloomberg Studio 0:01:13.840 --> 0:01:16.880 One Point podcast, will rewind to talk about where YouTube 0:01:16.920 --> 0:01:19.559 has been and fast forward to where it's going next, 0:01:19.680 --> 0:01:22.319 with one of the longest tenured employees and women at 0:01:22.360 --> 0:01:32.560 Google and the CEO of YouTube, Susan wijet Ski. Susan, 0:01:32.560 --> 0:01:34.920 it's so great to talk to you again. Thank you 0:01:34.959 --> 0:01:37.759 for having me. It's been five years since we last 0:01:37.800 --> 0:01:41.840 talked on camera, and we have a new president, we 0:01:41.920 --> 0:01:45.760 are weathering a pandemic. The most watch video on YouTube 0:01:45.920 --> 0:01:50.880 is baby Shark, Baby Shark, So a lot has changed since. 0:01:52.480 --> 0:01:57.600 How do you feel about YouTube? Ver? I feel good 0:01:57.680 --> 0:02:01.640 about it. Um, It's definitely been a while, and in technology, 0:02:01.640 --> 0:02:03.520 things moved so quickly, so a lot of things have 0:02:03.640 --> 0:02:08.919 changed since. And UM, I mean overall, I've been really 0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:11.720 pleased that we have continued to grow and grow our 0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:16.040 ecosystem of creators. UM. We've invested a lot in responsibility 0:02:16.760 --> 0:02:19.520 and UM that's been a really big focus for us. 0:02:19.840 --> 0:02:23.239 UM And you know, with weather through a pandemic and 0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:26.600 a lot of hard challenges. But overall, I'm feeling really good. 0:02:27.160 --> 0:02:29.440 You've been at Google for twenty plus years, going all 0:02:29.440 --> 0:02:31.920 the way back to Larry AND's are gay in the garage. 0:02:32.040 --> 0:02:34.799 You've been the CEO of YouTube for seven plus years. 0:02:35.240 --> 0:02:39.000 How has your job changed in that time since I 0:02:39.080 --> 0:02:42.120 joined being the CEO of YouTube? I would say one 0:02:42.120 --> 0:02:44.880 of the biggest things that has changed certainly has just 0:02:45.160 --> 0:02:49.520 been maybe the recognition of the importance of digital video. 0:02:49.639 --> 0:02:52.120 So when I first joined, actually a lot of people 0:02:52.160 --> 0:02:55.359 would say, oh, like, why did you join um UM. 0:02:55.400 --> 0:02:59.160 I was running ads beforehand and that was That's been 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:02.280 the in way Google generates revenue, and so a lot 0:03:02.320 --> 0:03:04.640 of people said, like, why did you leave that and 0:03:04.680 --> 0:03:07.600 go to YouTube? But I always believed in digital video 0:03:08.320 --> 0:03:11.880 and I believe that now we see that the world 0:03:11.919 --> 0:03:14.680 also believes. We've seen a lot of adoption of digital 0:03:14.760 --> 0:03:17.359 video and the benefits that that can have. You've championed 0:03:17.360 --> 0:03:20.919 this diversification strategy at YouTube since you started. What's working 0:03:20.919 --> 0:03:23.560 and what's not working well. Our main way of generating 0:03:23.560 --> 0:03:26.600 revenue is from advertising, um, but we also have really 0:03:26.639 --> 0:03:30.519 grown our subscription revenue, and um that has been really 0:03:30.520 --> 0:03:34.160 really important from many different reasons. So that has enabled 0:03:34.160 --> 0:03:37.720 our users to have experience where they can have music, 0:03:38.160 --> 0:03:41.320 YouTube music and premium. We just announced the fifty million 0:03:41.720 --> 0:03:44.760 subscribers that we were really excited about UM. But we 0:03:44.800 --> 0:03:47.520 also see other ways that our creators generate revenue. So 0:03:47.600 --> 0:03:51.480 our creators, for example, generate revenue with channel subscriptions, they 0:03:51.520 --> 0:03:56.240 may sell merchandise. UM. We also have things like UM 0:03:56.400 --> 0:04:01.320 digital goods, so like UM super chat, um, super Thanks, 0:04:01.360 --> 0:04:04.320 and so we've basically diversified the number of ways that 0:04:04.680 --> 0:04:08.640 that our ecosystem is generating revenue. The original tagline for 0:04:08.720 --> 0:04:13.200 YouTube was broadcast yourself, and that concept has exploded. We 0:04:13.320 --> 0:04:16.320 have ordinary people in the spotlight. When they grow up, 0:04:16.360 --> 0:04:18.560 they want to be an influencer, they want to be 0:04:18.720 --> 0:04:22.359 a YouTube star or a YouTube creator. What do you 0:04:22.400 --> 0:04:25.599 see as the future of the creator economy. I see 0:04:25.640 --> 0:04:29.040 a lot of possibility with the creator economy, and because 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:31.599 I see that many people have a lot of interest 0:04:31.640 --> 0:04:34.479 and they have a lot to offer, and beforehand they 0:04:34.480 --> 0:04:37.039 went up been able to have shared shared that with 0:04:37.080 --> 0:04:39.680 the world. And so there's so many people depending upon 0:04:39.720 --> 0:04:42.040 what their talent or their interest is, whether it's a 0:04:42.120 --> 0:04:47.719 sport or cooking or gaming or hairstyles, that people have 0:04:47.839 --> 0:04:50.000 come out and really been able to share that and 0:04:50.040 --> 0:04:53.360 create a lot of jobs. UM. So we actually see 0:04:53.440 --> 0:04:57.240 like our we actually saw thirty percent increase in the 0:04:57.320 --> 0:05:01.599 number of creators that are generating UM six figure income 0:05:01.640 --> 0:05:04.680 out of YouTube and in the last year. And so 0:05:04.760 --> 0:05:07.279 that's just an example of how the creator economy is 0:05:07.279 --> 0:05:09.760 continuing to grow well. And for years YouTube was the 0:05:09.800 --> 0:05:12.960 only company that actually paid creators, but now a lot 0:05:12.960 --> 0:05:17.720 of companies are paying creators, Facebook and Instagram, snap TikTok. 0:05:18.480 --> 0:05:23.240 How do you see that competition playing out? Who wins well? 0:05:23.240 --> 0:05:27.200 It is a competitive landscape and in general, competition is good. 0:05:27.279 --> 0:05:31.120 It makes everyone work harder and that's good. Um. I mean, 0:05:31.160 --> 0:05:34.040 we look at creators and we say they're going to 0:05:34.160 --> 0:05:36.159 come to us if we do the best job. And 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:39.800 creators come to us looking basically for fame and fortune, 0:05:40.560 --> 0:05:42.400 like how can I have a skill or I have 0:05:42.480 --> 0:05:44.640 a talent um something I want to share with the 0:05:44.640 --> 0:05:47.440 world like, and YouTube can help that be known, can 0:05:47.480 --> 0:05:50.200 help them provide that fame, but also we can generate 0:05:50.240 --> 0:05:52.719 revenue for them. Um. And so as long as we're 0:05:52.760 --> 0:05:54.520 doing a good job of that creator who are going 0:05:54.560 --> 0:05:56.839 to come to us, if we start to fail, then 0:05:56.920 --> 0:05:58.240 they're going to leave us and they're going to go 0:05:58.279 --> 0:06:00.000 to another platform. And so we just need to work 0:06:00.160 --> 0:06:02.159 really hard to make sure that we deliver that for 0:06:02.160 --> 0:06:05.080 our creators. A year ago, during the Black Lives Matter protest, 0:06:05.200 --> 0:06:09.279 YouTube made big commitments to black creators in particular. What's 0:06:09.279 --> 0:06:13.000 been the progress there and how do you see YouTube 0:06:13.160 --> 0:06:15.400 the potential for YouTube to be used as a tool 0:06:15.480 --> 0:06:18.839 for social justice. Well, so we've made an announcement that 0:06:18.880 --> 0:06:21.320 we were going to do a hundred million dollar Black 0:06:21.400 --> 0:06:25.599 Voices fund, um, And so we're continuing to develop content there. Um. 0:06:25.640 --> 0:06:27.640 But one of the other things, and I think there'll 0:06:27.680 --> 0:06:29.440 be there's been a lot of great content that's come 0:06:29.440 --> 0:06:32.479 out and will certainly see more. Um. But you know, 0:06:32.640 --> 0:06:35.600 because YouTube doesn't have any gatekeepers like you can just 0:06:35.920 --> 0:06:40.440 post and become a creator. Um. You know, we've we 0:06:40.600 --> 0:06:43.400 have seen a lot of people of different backgrounds and 0:06:43.480 --> 0:06:48.760 underrepresented backgrounds become creators and have audiences. Um. We never 0:06:48.800 --> 0:06:51.400 really measured it beforehand because we didn't have a way. 0:06:51.560 --> 0:06:53.039 And so one of the things that we've done is 0:06:53.040 --> 0:06:55.760 we've been we've enabled creators to now tell us what 0:06:55.880 --> 0:06:58.520 backgrounds they they affiliate with, so we can have a 0:06:58.560 --> 0:07:01.640 better understanding of how they're doing on our platform. Let's 0:07:01.640 --> 0:07:03.760 talk about YouTube shorts. It seems to be a top 0:07:03.800 --> 0:07:06.360 priority we all know that TikTok is on the rise. 0:07:06.560 --> 0:07:10.920 How important are YouTube shorts to the platform, to the company, 0:07:11.040 --> 0:07:13.960 So YouTube firs it's very important. UM. We see that 0:07:14.080 --> 0:07:18.240 creators UM and users want to watch all types of content, 0:07:18.320 --> 0:07:20.640 long form, short form. It turns out that the first 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:23.560 video that was actually ever uploaded to YouTube me at 0:07:23.600 --> 0:07:25.960 the Zoo was an eighteen second video, so it was 0:07:26.000 --> 0:07:28.640 a short form video. And what we have lots of 0:07:28.640 --> 0:07:31.200 short form views and we've had a way before TikTok did. 0:07:31.400 --> 0:07:35.120 But what we have really been leaning into more is 0:07:35.160 --> 0:07:38.320 just enabling those two be found UM and then a 0:07:38.360 --> 0:07:40.400 lot of the creation tools and so bringing a lot 0:07:40.440 --> 0:07:43.640 more mobile creation is really important for us going forward. 0:07:43.960 --> 0:07:47.440 Did you notice that viewing time was being lost to TikTok? 0:07:47.520 --> 0:07:50.320 Did you see that trend? And do you see TikTok 0:07:50.400 --> 0:07:53.440 as a sort of existential threat. I mean, we definitely 0:07:53.480 --> 0:07:56.640 see many competitors in this space. What we're just focused 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:58.920 on our like our own metrics, like do we see 0:07:58.920 --> 0:08:02.520 our users engaging UM, where's our opportunity? We're always looking 0:08:02.560 --> 0:08:04.600 around and seeing what our competitors are doing and if 0:08:04.600 --> 0:08:06.240 they're doing something we think would be good for our 0:08:06.360 --> 0:08:09.160 users and our creators like you know, we're also gonna 0:08:09.320 --> 0:08:11.800 look at how we can improve our our own economy, 0:08:11.960 --> 0:08:22.960 creator economy and what's good for our users. This is 0:08:23.000 --> 0:08:26.360 my conversation with the CEO of YouTube, Susan Wichitzki. Coming 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:30.239 up the video giants, war against COVID and vaccine misinformation 0:08:30.640 --> 0:08:33.200 and what about kids? We'll talk about how YouTube can 0:08:33.280 --> 0:08:37.320 keep children safe from toxic content. I'm etally chang. This 0:08:37.400 --> 0:08:51.319 is Bloomberg Studio. One point out stay with us. At 0:08:51.360 --> 0:08:54.840 this point. YouTube has become a hub for discovery, for 0:08:55.480 --> 0:08:59.439 information for you know, it satisfies our our curiosities. Right. 0:08:59.760 --> 0:09:02.160 That comes with a lot of inspiration, but also with 0:09:02.200 --> 0:09:07.480 misinformation when it comes to vaccines, vaccine hesitancy, videos that 0:09:07.520 --> 0:09:09.760 cause a public health risk. Where do you want to 0:09:09.800 --> 0:09:14.400 see YouTube do better? We've taken responsibility very seriously. It's 0:09:14.440 --> 0:09:16.720 been one of my top priorities. So first of all, 0:09:16.760 --> 0:09:18.840 we want to make sure that if there's information that 0:09:18.920 --> 0:09:21.480 violates our policies. We came up with ten different policies 0:09:21.520 --> 0:09:24.160 around COVID. Then if that's a violation of policies, then 0:09:24.200 --> 0:09:26.680 that's something that will remove. We removed over a million 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:29.600 videos associated with COVID, but we also want to make 0:09:29.640 --> 0:09:32.600 sure that we're raising up information that we think would 0:09:32.600 --> 0:09:36.240 be that come from trusted and authoritative sources. And we've 0:09:36.240 --> 0:09:38.280 really been able to do that. I think a lot 0:09:38.280 --> 0:09:40.360 of people, you know, we talk about vaccine hesitancy and 0:09:40.400 --> 0:09:43.319 they blame social media. They say YouTube not doing enough. 0:09:43.760 --> 0:09:46.360 You know, how do you respond to that? Yeah, I 0:09:46.360 --> 0:09:48.400 mean I think, well, first of all, we're always learning. 0:09:48.440 --> 0:09:50.640 I just just to be fair, like, we're always thinking 0:09:50.679 --> 0:09:53.840 about how can we do better. We're looking at the 0:09:53.920 --> 0:09:58.680 feedback and working with public health experts UM across the 0:09:58.720 --> 0:10:02.160 board and UM. You know, I think one of the 0:10:02.200 --> 0:10:04.160 big things for us is to continue to work with 0:10:04.200 --> 0:10:07.360 public health experts to understand, you know, what are the 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:09.560 ways that we can partner with them to get their 0:10:09.600 --> 0:10:13.240 messages across UM. And I really believe that that is 0:10:13.240 --> 0:10:17.000 something that's really changed, is the is the evolution of 0:10:17.040 --> 0:10:21.719 bringing creators, musicians, experts talking about public health. We never 0:10:21.720 --> 0:10:24.240 would have seen that before the pandemic. How much do 0:10:24.280 --> 0:10:28.880 you internalize the criticism of of YouTube's content do you 0:10:28.920 --> 0:10:32.240 take it personally? And and and how does that influence 0:10:32.800 --> 0:10:35.200 the decisions that you make? Is CEO, I want to 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:38.199 be doing the right thing, and I care about that. 0:10:38.280 --> 0:10:40.600 I care about the legacy that we leave. I care 0:10:40.600 --> 0:10:43.000 about the world that we leave to our children. I 0:10:43.080 --> 0:10:47.840 care about how media is consumed by the next generation 0:10:48.080 --> 0:10:52.320 and by by everyone today. And so I really have 0:10:52.840 --> 0:10:55.040 put a lot of time and effort to make sure 0:10:55.240 --> 0:10:58.880 that we are acting responsibly. UM. And there's always a 0:10:58.880 --> 0:11:03.360 balance between the free speech and uh right, but being 0:11:03.400 --> 0:11:05.719 responsible and taking down content that we think could lead 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:09.480 to some kind of real world harm um. And so 0:11:10.080 --> 0:11:13.240 make sure, I think whenever you're in a position like that, 0:11:13.280 --> 0:11:16.200 there's going to be a lot of criticism. UM. But 0:11:16.640 --> 0:11:19.640 our goal is just to continue to talk to experts 0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:22.720 and evolve and how do you make decisions in those 0:11:22.800 --> 0:11:24.959 tough moments where it's a tough call, Like how much 0:11:24.960 --> 0:11:27.920 of it is making a decision or leading by consensus 0:11:27.920 --> 0:11:29.880 and how much does it come down to you? The 0:11:29.960 --> 0:11:33.120 goal is that when we have tough decisions, they're not 0:11:33.320 --> 0:11:36.720 we're not they're like improvising in some way, like we've 0:11:36.760 --> 0:11:40.120 made a concrete set of decisions beforehand, and then we're 0:11:40.120 --> 0:11:44.120 looking and saying, is this something that meets our standards? Um? 0:11:44.240 --> 0:11:46.920 Is it a violation or not a violation? And if 0:11:46.960 --> 0:11:48.920 it seems like there's some set of issues with the 0:11:48.960 --> 0:11:50.280 content that we have on the platform. We're going to 0:11:50.320 --> 0:11:52.840 go back to experts and then reevaluate is it should 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:55.880 we be making changes to our policies. YouTube helped keep 0:11:55.960 --> 0:12:01.680 a generation of children connected, educated, entertained, this drafted through 0:12:01.720 --> 0:12:05.440 the pandemic. What have you learned from that experience and 0:12:05.480 --> 0:12:08.560 what do you see as the potential future of YouTube 0:12:08.640 --> 0:12:11.520 as a tool for learning as a tool in schools. 0:12:11.880 --> 0:12:13.760 When I meet people and they find out on the 0:12:13.800 --> 0:12:16.480 CEO of YouTube, almost always they tell me about something 0:12:16.520 --> 0:12:18.559 they learned on YouTube or someone that they're something their 0:12:18.600 --> 0:12:21.040 family member learned UM. So I see that as being 0:12:21.080 --> 0:12:24.319 a very significant part of YouTube. And during the pandemic, 0:12:24.440 --> 0:12:27.440 we certainly saw that a lot more education went online, 0:12:27.440 --> 0:12:30.080 and we had all the homeschooling. We had people who 0:12:30.120 --> 0:12:32.920 had to also just learn a lot of skills that 0:12:32.960 --> 0:12:36.080 they hadn't learned beforehand. But probably the biggest thing that 0:12:36.120 --> 0:12:38.520 we also learned was just and that I really saw 0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:40.520 was a need for us to continue to work with 0:12:40.800 --> 0:12:44.960 educational UM institutions and the need for us to be 0:12:45.000 --> 0:12:47.280 able to integrate with some of the learning tools that 0:12:47.280 --> 0:12:49.640 the kids are all using because they are using YouTube, 0:12:49.640 --> 0:12:51.040 and there's a lot more that we can do to 0:12:51.120 --> 0:12:55.160 really help educators have YouTube be a key part of 0:12:55.200 --> 0:12:58.080 the curriculum. My kids are on YouTube a lot, and 0:12:58.120 --> 0:13:00.000 sometimes more than I want them to be, and sometimes 0:13:00.040 --> 0:13:02.600 it's super productive and they're learning something cool, and sometimes 0:13:02.720 --> 0:13:06.360 it's not productive at all. How are you innovating to 0:13:06.480 --> 0:13:10.120 make the time that kids spend on YouTube more valuable 0:13:10.480 --> 0:13:13.719 and of course safe. It's very important to me as 0:13:13.760 --> 0:13:16.760 a parent to make sure that we're giving parents options 0:13:17.480 --> 0:13:20.160 about how what they want their kids to see. And 0:13:20.200 --> 0:13:22.000 that's one of the reasons that pretty much as soon 0:13:22.040 --> 0:13:24.400 as I got to YouTube, we started working on YouTube 0:13:24.440 --> 0:13:27.640 kids um, which is a separate app, which is important 0:13:27.760 --> 0:13:29.959 for kids in terms of how we can control the 0:13:30.040 --> 0:13:32.320 quality and we can give parents a lot more control 0:13:32.880 --> 0:13:35.800 about what kind of content is appropriate for them and 0:13:35.840 --> 0:13:38.280 their family. And you know, there are many other things 0:13:38.320 --> 0:13:41.040 like we actually just came out with a supervised experience 0:13:41.080 --> 0:13:43.600 for tweens because tweens was one of the age groups 0:13:43.600 --> 0:13:45.880 that was actually hardest. They usually don't want to be 0:13:45.920 --> 0:13:48.640 on the kids app, but they're not thirteen to be 0:13:48.760 --> 0:13:51.359 on the on the main app, and so the supervised 0:13:51.400 --> 0:13:54.079 experience is something that we recently came out with. The 0:13:54.080 --> 0:13:56.319 Wall Street Journal has been doing some in depth reporting 0:13:56.320 --> 0:13:59.920 on Facebook. UM. You know, the report is that Facebook 0:14:00.040 --> 0:14:03.680 knew that Instagram was toxic for teen girls and didn't 0:14:03.720 --> 0:14:06.720 do anything about it. Does YouTube look at the impact 0:14:06.800 --> 0:14:09.880 it has on on teen users, the influence that might 0:14:09.920 --> 0:14:13.000 have on on someone's body image or self esteem. First 0:14:13.000 --> 0:14:15.720 of all, I think it's a it's a very important topic. 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:20.560 And UM we we UM do have a panel of 0:14:20.680 --> 0:14:22.960 experts that we work with to be able to help 0:14:23.040 --> 0:14:25.800 us understand what are the different ways that our product 0:14:25.800 --> 0:14:28.840 could be used or what are how do we face 0:14:28.880 --> 0:14:31.600 some of these challenging issues to make sure that we're 0:14:31.600 --> 0:14:36.040 getting the best advice UM and UM we certainly do 0:14:36.160 --> 0:14:39.560 see for a lot of really tough issues that YouTube 0:14:39.560 --> 0:14:44.200 can be a really valuable resource. So body positivity, mental health. 0:14:44.560 --> 0:14:47.320 We see a lot of creators actually talk about mental health. 0:14:47.920 --> 0:14:51.640 UM and that that for a lot of kids. UM, 0:14:51.680 --> 0:14:56.120 it's really like destigmatizes UM and enables people to talk 0:14:56.160 --> 0:14:58.200 about what's happening and what's going on with them. The 0:14:58.240 --> 0:15:03.320 potential long term impact of YouTube on teens and on children, 0:15:03.760 --> 0:15:06.320 whether it is toxic or whether it's addictive. Is that 0:15:06.400 --> 0:15:08.520 something that you wonder about, Is that something that you 0:15:08.560 --> 0:15:12.200 struggle with, not just as a CEO, but as a mom. 0:15:12.320 --> 0:15:14.400 We certainly want to make sure that we are doing 0:15:14.400 --> 0:15:16.920 what we can to be responsible with kids and in 0:15:17.080 --> 0:15:19.880 every way possible. Um. And that's one of the reasons 0:15:19.920 --> 0:15:22.920 that we actually have worked hard to give parents as 0:15:22.960 --> 0:15:25.480 many options as possible for them to decide what is 0:15:25.520 --> 0:15:28.920 important for them and their family, whether that's like limiting 0:15:29.400 --> 0:15:33.080 screen time, like limiting what is the content they actually 0:15:33.120 --> 0:15:35.920 have access to. I mean even letting parents just say, 0:15:36.200 --> 0:15:38.360 these are like the ten videos, my kid can only 0:15:38.400 --> 0:15:42.040 see these ten videos, um. And so that is that 0:15:42.240 --> 0:15:44.280 is really important for us to give the tools back 0:15:44.320 --> 0:15:46.480 to parents for them to decide what is best for 0:15:46.560 --> 0:15:57.200 them and their family. You're listening to my conversation with 0:15:57.240 --> 0:16:02.240 Susan Wichitki, CEO of YouTube up next banning Trump censoring 0:16:02.320 --> 0:16:05.960 Russian content. How Wajitski and YouTube are at the center 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:08.920 of some of the most controversial choices facing the tech 0:16:08.960 --> 0:16:12.800 industry yet, and with the Biden administration targeting big tech, 0:16:12.960 --> 0:16:15.800 the leaders of Facebook, Twitter, and Google have all been 0:16:15.800 --> 0:16:19.560 called to Capitol Hill. Is Wajitski herself willing to testify 0:16:19.720 --> 0:16:23.280 before Congress. I'm Emily Chang. This is Bloomberg Studio. At 0:16:23.320 --> 0:16:46.840 one point, Oh, stay with us. How much did President 0:16:46.840 --> 0:16:49.720 Trump test YouTube? And how much did it test you 0:16:50.000 --> 0:16:53.560 as a leader? Election integrity is something that we see 0:16:53.600 --> 0:16:59.080 incredibly is incredibly important, UM, and of leaned into in 0:16:59.160 --> 0:17:03.440 every way we've possibly can we treat all public figures 0:17:03.440 --> 0:17:06.040 and all public leaders the same as we treat any 0:17:06.040 --> 0:17:09.199 individual and so, meaning that everybody is held to the 0:17:09.240 --> 0:17:15.440 same standards. UM. And so we definitely UM held President 0:17:15.600 --> 0:17:18.360 Trump as we would hold all other presidents and all 0:17:18.440 --> 0:17:22.080 other elected officials to the same standards that we hold 0:17:22.080 --> 0:17:24.639 our creators and anyone else on YouTube. What was that 0:17:24.720 --> 0:17:27.159 difficult for you as the city of the company. I mean, 0:17:27.160 --> 0:17:29.760 that's kind of that's like a big responsibility. I mean, yeah, 0:17:30.160 --> 0:17:33.359 it is difficult, but it is very important. And we 0:17:33.400 --> 0:17:36.240 also are global, so we're dealing with leaders from all 0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:38.800 over the world. UM. And there were a number of 0:17:38.920 --> 0:17:41.639 leaders that and they're continuing to be a number of 0:17:41.720 --> 0:17:44.879 leaders that that post or that there's content that may 0:17:44.880 --> 0:17:47.679 be a violation of our policies. UM. But we do 0:17:47.800 --> 0:17:51.320 hold a consistent standard across everything that we do. YouTube 0:17:51.359 --> 0:17:53.919 was the last platform to ban Trump, and you have 0:17:53.960 --> 0:17:58.400 said his channel will be reinstated when an elevated risk 0:17:58.520 --> 0:18:02.760 of violence has subsided. How and when specifically will you 0:18:02.840 --> 0:18:06.399 make that decision. Well, we'll make that decision based on 0:18:07.040 --> 0:18:10.240 a number of different factors, whether that is like events 0:18:10.240 --> 0:18:13.120 in the news, um, signals we're seeing from the from 0:18:13.160 --> 0:18:18.000 the government, um. And you will certainly continue to evaluate 0:18:18.040 --> 0:18:20.760 that based on a large number of signals that we see. 0:18:20.880 --> 0:18:25.000 And will he ultimately be reinstated. I mean, we've stated 0:18:25.040 --> 0:18:27.440 that we will reinstate him when we believe that there 0:18:27.520 --> 0:18:31.080 is no risk to public safety or no public danger. 0:18:31.400 --> 0:18:34.880 Google just remove a voting app for Russian opposition leader 0:18:34.880 --> 0:18:37.919 Alexei Navali. The Russian government seems to be stepping up 0:18:37.920 --> 0:18:41.680 requests to take down content. You've talked in the past 0:18:41.720 --> 0:18:45.800 about your family history, your grandparents living behind the Iron Curtain, 0:18:46.320 --> 0:18:50.159 being concerned about censorship back then, and Russia is a 0:18:50.280 --> 0:18:54.680 huge YouTube audience. How concerned are you about Russian government overreach. 0:18:54.920 --> 0:18:57.320 One of the things that we're is important to us 0:18:57.320 --> 0:19:00.119 at YouTube is the fact that we do enable so 0:19:00.200 --> 0:19:04.120 many voices and that we do enable people to express 0:19:04.160 --> 0:19:09.240 themselves and really celebrate the freedom of speech, um And 0:19:09.359 --> 0:19:12.520 we certainly you know that's that's a core value of ours. 0:19:12.680 --> 0:19:15.840 Um And. But when we work with governments are many 0:19:15.880 --> 0:19:18.160 things that we have to take in consideration, like whether 0:19:18.200 --> 0:19:22.600 it's like local laws or um what's happening on the ground. 0:19:22.680 --> 0:19:25.480 And so there's always going to be multiple considerations that 0:19:25.640 --> 0:19:28.440 we're going to have to take into consideration. I've only 0:19:28.520 --> 0:19:32.159 said that YouTube deleted a video. One of his videos 0:19:32.400 --> 0:19:35.399 was that at the request of the Russian government. We 0:19:35.480 --> 0:19:40.880 certainly get requests from governments, um and, and we look 0:19:41.119 --> 0:19:44.240 and consider what's you know, why are we getting the request, 0:19:44.320 --> 0:19:47.800 What's actually happening on the ground, um And, based on 0:19:47.920 --> 0:19:50.640 a whole bunch of different factors, we make a decision. Um. 0:19:50.720 --> 0:19:54.040 So we don't always those are not always requests that 0:19:54.359 --> 0:19:56.680 makes sense for us to honor, but in certain cases, 0:19:56.960 --> 0:20:00.359 you know, we will honor them in that country. Biden 0:20:00.359 --> 0:20:05.000 administration seems to be targeting big tech. We've seen Mark Zuckerberg, 0:20:05.080 --> 0:20:08.720 We've seen Jack Dorsey now testify before Congress multiple times, 0:20:08.800 --> 0:20:11.840 and I've heard it said that YouTube is getting a pass. 0:20:12.280 --> 0:20:14.560 Do you think you should be up there testifying? Well, 0:20:14.600 --> 0:20:17.359 I think we do get a lot of scrutiny. I 0:20:17.400 --> 0:20:20.679 feel like there's a lot of scrutiny UM And because 0:20:20.680 --> 0:20:23.879 YouTube is part of Google, UM Center has testified a 0:20:23.960 --> 0:20:26.920 number of different times and answered many different questions on YouTube. 0:20:27.240 --> 0:20:29.560 So I do believe there's a certain amount of scrutiny. 0:20:29.680 --> 0:20:32.800 And you know, if if I were ever asked to testify, 0:20:32.880 --> 0:20:35.919 I certainly would go and testify as well. You're one 0:20:35.960 --> 0:20:38.399 of the most senior women at Google, if not the 0:20:38.480 --> 0:20:41.280 most senior woman at Google. Google has faced a lot 0:20:41.320 --> 0:20:44.240 of scrutiny for how it treats women in recent years. 0:20:44.680 --> 0:20:47.199 How much progress do you think Google has made in 0:20:47.600 --> 0:20:51.920 hiring and promoting women across the company and how much 0:20:51.920 --> 0:20:53.800 progress do you think still needs to be made. I 0:20:53.880 --> 0:20:56.440 see a really big effort across technology as a whole 0:20:56.600 --> 0:20:58.680 to be able to be more inclusive, and I think 0:20:58.720 --> 0:21:01.280 that is really positive. I've been a big supporter of it. 0:21:01.520 --> 0:21:05.320 It's the very beginning, UM. And I mean I think 0:21:05.320 --> 0:21:08.160 at Google there are many efforts and there's a lot 0:21:08.280 --> 0:21:11.760 of UM, a lot of work UM that has been done, 0:21:11.760 --> 0:21:13.439 and I'm sure there's a lot more for us to 0:21:13.480 --> 0:21:15.520 continue to do. And if you just look at the stats, 0:21:15.560 --> 0:21:17.720 you can see they're not enough women. We need more women, 0:21:18.240 --> 0:21:21.159 um in technology, and I think we have made a 0:21:21.160 --> 0:21:23.240 lot of progress, but it's still hard. It's hard to 0:21:23.280 --> 0:21:26.040 be it's harder to be a woman in technology, it's 0:21:26.040 --> 0:21:29.479 harder to be a minority of any kind. Um. And 0:21:29.520 --> 0:21:30.800 so I think there's still a lot of work for 0:21:30.880 --> 0:21:33.800 us to do. When we last book five years ago, UM, 0:21:33.840 --> 0:21:35.399 you know, I asked you about being a mom. You 0:21:35.480 --> 0:21:37.879 have five kids, and you said something that really stuck 0:21:37.920 --> 0:21:39.800 with me. You said, being a mom makes me a 0:21:39.840 --> 0:21:43.320 better leader. I prioritize better. I see something growing fast, 0:21:43.359 --> 0:21:45.919 and I run towards that. If something's growing closely, I'm like, 0:21:45.960 --> 0:21:48.560 I don't have time for that. How has that management 0:21:48.800 --> 0:21:51.360 strategy played out for you? I think it's played out 0:21:51.400 --> 0:21:55.800 really well. I think it's been. I mean, prioritization is 0:21:55.880 --> 0:21:59.600 everything when you look at it, because we have a 0:21:59.720 --> 0:22:02.399 lot of opportunity. There's a lot of moving pieces, very 0:22:02.480 --> 0:22:05.199 dynamic environment. So if you can prioritize and say these 0:22:05.240 --> 0:22:07.879 are like the most important things to do, then you 0:22:07.880 --> 0:22:10.320 know you're going to get there faster. Larry and start 0:22:10.320 --> 0:22:12.320 going to have now left, how long do you plan 0:22:12.400 --> 0:22:14.840 to keep running YouTube? How long do you plan to 0:22:14.880 --> 0:22:17.840