Amid the chaos and confusion of an active shooter situation at YouTube’s headquarters on Tuesday, people on Twitter made morbid “jokes” wishing death for YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki.
https://twitter.com/glowworrm/status/981279921300541442
https://twitter.com/VindelSaul/status/981288136952238080
https://twitter.com/loudmouthjulia/status/981276198008492041
Others condemned the threatening tweets.
https://twitter.com/BrucesnoopALT/status/981270209674825728
Sometimes I hate the internet. This is gross.
— Ian Cahill (@iancahill) April 3, 2018
Wojcicki and YouTube have faced backlash in efforts to cut down on conspiracy videos, which were posted in waves following the Parkland school shooting in February. YouTube has also ramped up efforts to remove extremist content using computer algorithms and human moderators. Frustrated content creators have named YouTube’s changes in strategies for offering advertising the “adpocalypse.”
Following employee tweets, police confirmed Tuesday afternoon that a shooter had opened fire at the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California. Early reports indicated the suspect, a woman, was dead at the scene, and at least three people were being treated for injuries.
Wojcicki has not tweeted since initial reports of the incident. Google Communications tweeted that Bay Area employees are being advised to stay clear of the YouTube headquarters.
We advised all other employees in the Bay Area, and people with meetings scheduled, to stay away from the area, and that there is no need to take any action. We have provided employees a helpline.
— Google Communications (@Google_Comms) April 3, 2018
Update 10:23am CT, April 4: The shooting suspect has been ID’ed as 39-year-old San Diego resident Nasim Aghdam. Authorities have backpedaled on initial reports that she was a spurned lover, and have yet to designate a clear motive. However, Aghdam was angry at YouTube and actively wrote against it on social media.