• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechObituary

Former YouTube CEO’s son found dead in UC Berkeley dorm, leaving prominent Silicon Valley family ‘devastated beyond comprehension’

Steve Mollman
By
Steve Mollman
Steve Mollman
Contributors Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
Steve Mollman
By
Steve Mollman
Steve Mollman
Contributors Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 18, 2024, 1:01 PM ET
Susan Wojcicki
Susan Wojcicki, former CEO of YouTube. Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Vanity Fair

The son of former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki was found dead in a college dorm on Tuesday.

Marco Troper, 19, was a freshman at UC Berkeley. A drug overdose is suspected. 

“He ingested a drug, and we don’t know what was in it,” Troper’s grandmother, Esther Wojcicki, told SFGATE. “One thing we do know, it was a drug.” The family, she added, is awaiting a toxicology report that could help confirm the cause of death, but it might take up to a month.

“I think the most important thing is that teenagers and college students need to know that drugs today are not the same as the drugs of yesterday, they’re often laced with fentanyl,” Esther Wojcicki told the Daily Post in Palo Alto.

A university spokesperson wrote to Fortune: “We can confirm that Marco Troper, a first-year freshman at UC Berkeley, has died. He was an undeclared major in the College of Letters & Science. We do not know the cause of death, that is to be determined by the coroner’s office.”

There were “no signs of foul play” and an investigation is underway, according to the University of California Police Department.

“Our family is devastated beyond comprehension,” Esther Wojcicki wrote in a Facebook post. “Marco was the most kind, loving, smart, fun and beautiful human being He was just getting starting on his second semester of his freshman year at UC Berkeley majoring in math and was truly loving it.”

The family is well known in Silicon Valley. Susan Wojcicki rented her garage in Menlo Park to Google’s founders—Larry Page and Sergey Brin—in 1998, when she was a marketing manager at Intel. She went on to work for many years at Google, including as the head of YouTube, a role she stepped down from last year. 

Anne Wojcicki, Susan’s sister, is the cofounder and CEO of the personal genomics firm 23andMe, and was previously married to Brin.

Esther Wojcicki wrote a 2019 book entitled How to Raise Successful People and, as a journalism teacher, mentored Lisa Brennan-Jobs, daughter of Apple cofounder Steve Jobs.

Troper’s grandfather, the late Stanley Wojcicki, was chairman of Stanford’s physics department. He died last year.

“Marco’s life was cut too short,” Esther Wojcicki wrote in her Facebook post. “And we are all devastated, thinking about all the opportunities and life experiences that he will miss and we will miss together. Marco, we all love you and miss you more than you will ever know.”

Fortune Brainstorm AI returns to San Francisco Dec. 8–9 to convene the smartest people we know—technologists, entrepreneurs, Fortune Global 500 executives, investors, policymakers, and the brilliant minds in between—to explore and interrogate the most pressing questions about AI at another pivotal moment. Register here.
About the Author
Steve Mollman
By Steve MollmanContributors Editor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Steve Mollman is a contributors editor at Fortune.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.