Om Malik, the San Francisco-based technology writer and investor who founded GigaOm and later served as a partner at True Ventures, died on Wednesday. He was 59 and had been a visible presence in the Bay Area tech world for more than two decades, a span in which he became a touchstone for how the industry talked about itself. News of his passing quickly prompted an outpouring of tributes from journalists, founders and investors across the industry.
According to a family note posted on Om.co, "Om Malik passed away on June 24, 2026, at Stanford Hospital after a long health journey with his heart. He was surrounded by family and friends." The post invites readers to share remembrances on his site and social channels.
Malik launched GigaOm in 2001 and helped turn it into a widely read technology news and analysis outlet before it ceased operations and was later relaunched, a history documented on Wikipedia. He later joined True Ventures as a partner and adviser to founders, a role laid out on the firm's team page, and local coverage has noted his long influence on the region’s technology conversation. True Ventures and the Silicon Valley Business Journal have each published remembrances of his life and work.
Silicon Valley Remembers
Across the Valley, industry leaders praised Malik's mix of skepticism, curiosity and a steady focus on the human side of technology. Salesforce founder Marc Benioff called him a pioneer, a deep thinker, and a truly original voice who shaped the soul of Silicon Valley, and Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak remembered him as an incredibly talented and thoughtful person who understood technology deeply, according to The Economic Times. Colleagues and founders filled X and personal blogs with stories of Malik as a generous mentor and a clear-eyed critic, someone who could be tough on ideas while remaining supportive of the people behind them.
From Independent Blog To VC Partner
Malik's writing helped define an era of independent tech commentary, shaping how the industry covered startups, platforms and the infrastructure that quietly keeps it all running. GigaOm's path from influential independent blog through financial turmoil and on to a later relaunch after acquisition has become part of that legacy, as reflected in public records and archives. In recent years, Malik shifted his energy away from daily reporting and toward advising founders and thinking ahead about technological change.
His family has asked that remembrances be shared on his site and social accounts; the family note did not include details about a funeral or memorial. This story will be updated as additional information is released by his family and the firms with which he worked.
