One of the most influential forces in modern technology was Susan Wojcicki, who was instrumental in shaping Google in the very early years. She went on to lead YouTube during a significant period in the company’s history before passing away in 2024.
“Coding is like writing, and we live in a time of the new industrial revolution. What’s happened is that maybe everybody knows how to use computers, like they know how to read, but they don’t know how to write.”
The new industrial revolution
Shortly before taking on the leadership mantle at YouTube, Wojcicki – who was then Google’s senior vice president of advertising and commerce – gave a lengthy interview to the Financial Times.
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During this discussion, she explained that coding was an instrumental component in society’s toolbox – and compared computer literacy with the fundamental skill of reading and writing. She added that being able to write code is just as important as being able to write many, many decades before.
Although her background was in marketing and advertising, she had an intimate understanding of the technology landscape – and was key in overseeing Google’s acquisition of YouTube 2006, before going on to lead the organization for nine years.
Wojcicki’s comparison between human-to-human communication and human-to-machine communication rings true if you strip down programming to the fundamental components – including the expressions, syntax and rules. Similarly, literacy (whether conventional or digital) unlocks avenues and opens up new possibilities.
In the years that followed, these sentiments have rung true; the importance of programming as a key skill in the modern era cannot be overstated. However, the rise of AI has also added a new dimension – lowering the barrier to entry with practices like ‘vibe coding’ and giving more and more workers the ‘writing skills’ they need.
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