Sundar Pichai, Google CEO as well as YouTube's leader, and other CEOs from major companies have expressed their regret for the tragic YouTube shooting.
News of an active shooter opening fire at YouTube's headquarters in San Bruno, California shocked the tech scene and prompted emotional responses. The woman who shot at YouTube employees was reportedly mad at YouTube for censoring her videos and demonetizing her content.
Who Was The YouTube Shooter?
According to reports, the shooter has been identified as 38-year-old Nasim Aghdam. She reportedly hated YouTube and after shooting at the company's employees and injuring three people in the process, the shooter killed herself.
It seems that Mountain View police found Nasim Aghdam sleeping in her car just the night before she went to the YouTube headquarters and opened fire. Her family had reported her missing, and her father informed the police that she hated YouTube and she might be going there.
On Tuesday, the father said the police reportedly called the shooter's family to tell them they had it all "under control." Merely a few hours later, however, his daughter was reportedly declared dead after shooting herself and three other people.
YouTube Video Monetization Woes
Ismail Aghdam further explains that his daughter was an animal lover and a vocal vegan activist. She used to post a lot of content on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, mostly militating for animal rights. According to Ismail, his daughter complained that YouTube was no longer paying her for the content she posted.
YouTube creators can monetize their content through ads that run on their videos. If the ads no longer accompany the content, it's demonetized, which reportedly happened in Aghdam's case. Her YouTube videos featured some odd workout clips, various tutorials for cooking vegan meals, and some graphical videos of animal abuse.
Late on Tuesday, after the YouTube shooting, Aghdam's pages on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, were removed. Her family didn't know she owned a gun.
Google, YouTube, And Other CEOs On YouTube Shooting
Pichai took to Twitter to express his shock and regrets about the tragic YouTube shooting.
There are no words to describe the tragedy that occurred today. @SusanWojcicki & I are focused on supporting our employees & the @YouTube community through this difficult time together. Thank you to the police & first responders for their efforts, and to all for msgs of support. — Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) April 3, 2018
In a heartfelt letter to employees, Pichai also says that Google wants to help people heal after this tragedy.
"I know a lot of you are in shock right now. Over the coming days, we will continue to provide support to help everyone in our Google family heal from this unimaginable tragedy," says Pichai.
Susan Wojcicki, the YouTube CEO, took to Twitter as well to talk about the shooting and to thank authorities for their prompt response.
"There are no words to describe how horrible it was to have an active shooter @YouTube today. Our deepest gratitude to law enforcement & first responders for their rapid response. Our hearts go to all those injured & impacted today. We will come together to heal as a family," says Wojcicki.
Other executives from major companies reacted to the YouTube shooting as well. Apple CEO Tim Cook says that everyone at Apple is sending their support and sympathy to Google and YouTube, particularly the shooting victims and their families.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, meanwhile, called for a more proactive approach to prevent such occurrences from shattering more lives in the future.
None of the shooting victims have been reported dead. A 36-year-old man is reportedly in critical condition at the San Francisco General Hospital, a 32-year old woman is reportedly in serious condition, and another 27-year-old woman is reportedly in fair condition. The names of the victims are not available publicly.
