Tech leaders shared tributes honoring his mentorship and early investments
RIP @om. You were my competitor, my mentor, and most importantly my friend. We wanted nothing from each other which made it so easy to spend so much time together. You will be remembered as the fierce journalist and thinker that you truly were. Gone way too soon.
Many users mourned tech journalist Om Malik's passing and praised him as a legend and kind mentor after tributes from peers like Matt Mullenweg because they valued his positive impact on their lives and the industry.
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@arrington @om life is short...
@arrington @om 1/26/20
@arrington @davemcclure @om Called you today to reminisce on those old time and tell you some good behind the scenes Om stories.
the world has lost a tremendous human - someone I always looked up to for his taste, perspective, and wisdom. for some reason, I often captured a profile shot of Om when we got together, like this one from a few yrs ago. whenever he popped up on my camera roll, i'd remember our conversations, and this was meaningful to me.
@om left his mark on a lot of us, and will be missed.
@vassallo @om great pic :)
June 24, 2026, the world lost an incredible man.
After a long journey with his heart, @om passed away peacefully at Stanford Hospital, surrounded by the family and friends who loved him. I am deeply grateful that I was able to spend time with him during his final week and to be there in his final moments.
It’s hard to put into words what Om meant to me.
He wasn’t just a friend or mentor, he was family. He would introduce me as his son, and that’s exactly how he treated me. He was the first person to truly believe in me, the first to invest in me, and one of the people most responsible for the person I’ve become.
When I met him, I was just 17 or 18 years old. He was the same age then that I am today. It’s strange to realize I’m now standing where he was when he changed the course of my life.
One of my earliest memories of him was his 40th birthday party. It was at a local bar, and since I wasn’t 21, I figured I’d have to stay outside. Instead, Om came out, found me, and made sure I was included. That was who he was, he made everyone feel like they belonged.
When I made the decision not to finish college and instead pursue a career in tech, Om never questioned it. He believed in me completely. More than that, he sat down with my parents and helped them understand that I knew what I was doing, that I was in good hands, and that he would watch over my path. Looking back now, I realize how extraordinary that was. He wasn’t just giving me advice, he was taking responsibility for me. That’s the kind of man he was.
Over the years, he became the first person I called whenever I needed advice. No matter the situation, he always seemed to know exactly what to say. He had a rare gift of seeing 20 steps ahead while explaining things with remarkable simplicity. He gave wisdom freely, never seeking credit, only wanting to help others succeed.
He was also the officiant who married my wife and me, a moment I’ll forever treasure. He wasn’t just present for the milestones in my life; he helped make them possible.
If you knew Om, you knew his love for espressos, photowalks, beautiful pens, and, of course, technology. He was endlessly curious, always learning, always teaching, always thinking about what came next.
For nearly half my life, he has been one of my constants. My sounding board. My mentor. My father figure. My rock.
Thank you, Om, for believing in me before I believed in myself. Thank you for standing beside me when others weren’t sure. Thank you for every conversation, every lesson, every opportunity, and every moment of encouragement.
I will carry your wisdom with me for the rest of my life. I hope to honor you by being for others even a fraction of what you were for me.
I am deeply grateful that I was able to spend one last fathers day with him and to be there in his final moments.
I love you. I’ll miss you more than words can express.
Rest easy, Om.
We lost Silicon Valley’s gentlest giant this week.
@om was truly one of one and being in his presence, especially traveling with him, was the kind of experience that rearranged you at a molecular level.
I will miss his unbounded curiosity, his incredible kindness, and the impish sparkle in his eyes right before he bowled you over with his brilliance and wit.
@scottbelsky @msg truly. 🩶
Crushed to wake up to this news this morning. @Om was one of a kind and the outpouring of reflections here today is no surprise. He will be greatly missed.
Om and I first met over 20 years ago when I visited his SF office to demo a new search product. He almost kicked me out. Not because of the product - he dug it. But because I was using a ThinkPad instead of a Mac. Wouldn’t stop dissing me about it no matter how many times I explained it was company issued. I ditched the ThinkPad.
We had so many great times over the years, especially talking product, publicly and privately. He had artisanal tastes in technology and I always wanted his opinion, even if it was harsh. But every conversation started and ended with us talking about family, friends and life. He was also tied for first place with the late great @blakekrik for his use of the term “dude.” (Not surprisingly they were good friends.)
We tried hard to buy GigaOm for CNET/CBSi back in 2014, but it didn’t work out. We were both bummed. But looking through @chrismichel’s pics you can see how rich of a life he led over the last decade. So probably for the best he wasn’t focused on tech coverage day to day.
Like a lot of you I went back to my Om text string when I saw the news this morning. I’d asked him for his thoughts on something we had just launched. His last text: “How’s your family?”
It is with profound sadness that we share the news of Om Malik’s passing.
It’s difficult to state the impact that @om had on all of our lives at True.
Om was the first Founder we funded when we started True. In our Presidio office, Om discussed his idea for a new type of media company. That idea would later become GigaOm.
Om was a brilliant Founder, an amazing teammate and Partner at True, a prolific writer, a gifted photographer, and a sage and valuable advisor to so many in the technology ecosystem.
Om was brilliant, thoughtful, humorous, profoundly kind, and deeply curious. He was also relentless when he had an idea or story. Om was brave - he never shied away from sharing his views or pushing for the truth.
We were very, very lucky to call Om our Partner and friend at True for these last many years.
For today, we simply encourage you to take a moment to remember this beautiful soul and great thinker who was in our midst. He would ask us to slow down a bit. Om would want us to think deeper, express our love for one another a lot more.
Above all else, Om wanted us all to retain our humanity and care for each other in our brilliant quest to rebuild the world.
We love you Om.
Team True
https://om.co/2026/06/24/1966-2026/
@scottbelsky excellent
@scottbelsky 💔
I’m so sorry for your loss, Krutal. What a beautiful tribute to Om, who changed the lives of so many including my own by extension.
While I didn’t know him personally, without meeting you and @hnshah my life would look very different. May we all continue living in a way that honors his memory.
@arrington @om Hope he is resting good 🙏🙏
@arrington @om Michael ❤️❤️❤️
I think many have a hard time grasping how your fierce competitors eventually become your friends, but you describe it well.
Om will be missed by all of us.
@davewiner @om Stay healthy, Dave
@arrington @om Wow. Way too soon, indeed. I can see 59 sneaking up on me even now…
@jcal7 @davemcclure @om Let’s talk today
@scottbelsky I’m sorry for your loss. What did he teach you?
@arrington @om that's beautiful mike. ;-)
@scottbelsky thank you for sharing that moment of him. those chance captures end up meaning the most.
