How the ‘Godmother of Silicon Valley’ Celebrates Mother’s Day at 85

Esther Wojcicki lives less than 10 minutes away from both of her daughters and her many grandchildren in Palo Alto, Calif. On Mother’s Day, that proximity turns into, in her own words, “chaos.” “Kids are running around with presents. Nobody is organized. They’re all really excited. They want to know where the cake is,” she told Observer ahead of the holiday. “I celebrate my daughters as mothers, of course, and they celebrate me as mother. All the kids celebrate me as the grandmother, otherwise known as Nana.”

Esther, 85, is the subject of a new documentary this year called “The Godmother of Silicon Valley.” A former public high school teacher for more than 40 years, she has many famous students, including former NBA player Jeremy Lin, actor James Franco and writer Lisa Brennan-Jobs. At home, she has also raised three equally accomplished women: former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, 23andMe founder Anne Wojcicki, and anthropologist and epidemiologist Janet Wojcicki.

In 2019, Esther published a best-selling book called How to Raise Successful People, in which she outlines her education philosophy known as “TRICK,” which stands for trust, respect, independence, collaboration and kindness.

The book wasn’t exactly an instant hit within her own family. “When it first came out [in 2019], [Anne] was laughing like, ‘Mom, I can’t believe you wrote this!’” she said. But now, Anne practices that model with her own three children.

“We tease her about TRICK all the time. But yes, I follow her method now,” Anne told Observer in a separate interview recently. “My mom is so much fun. She’s wild. She’s like my teenager.”

Esther has 10 grandchildren, ages six to 26. She stays in touch with all of them via WhatsApp. Most nights, she’s at one of their dinner tables. “I take turns,” she said.

Her former students occupy much of the rest of her social calendar. “I’ve got, you know, coffee and tea and lunch and dinner. And I was like, ‘God, I’m getting fat!’” Esther said. “But I’m really happy to see them all. My main goal is to support them in whatever they’re doing.”

Esther taught English and Journalism at Palo Alto High School. She is best known for founding the Media Arts Program at the school and expanding it from a single journalism class into a massive program that allows students to specialize in various media fields.

While some of her students went on to become very successful journalists, such as The Economist editors Gady Epstein and Noah Sneider, Esther—the daughter of a struggling artist—made an intentional effort to nudge her creatively minded students, including her eldest daughter, Susan, onto practical career paths.

“Susan was incredibly talented as an artist,” she said of the former YouTube CEO who passed away in 2024. “And I was worried, because I wanted to make sure that she had alternative skills besides just art, and she did.”

“I’ve had hundreds of kids who were great artists, and I geared every single one of them toward graphic art and computer design and anything connected with computers and technology,” she added. “I wasn’t against the field. I just don’t want any of my students to starve.”

Esther retired from Palo Alto High School in 2020. She continues to write, speak and travel to discuss her TRICK method. “The TRICK model could work to help you get along with your child for life, and also help you get along with your spouse. It works in all human interactions,” she said.