Om Malik dies at 60 after long heart illness; tributes pour in for GigaOm founder and tech journalism pioneer

Tech journalism lost one of its defining voices this week.

Om Malik, the veteran technology journalist, investor, and founder of GigaOm, died on Wednesday, June 24, at Stanford Hospital after what his family described as “a long health journey with his heart.” He was 60.

For more than two decades, Malik helped shape how Silicon Valley was covered. Long before startup funding and product launches dominated headlines, he built GigaOm into one of the web’s most influential independent technology publications, earning a reputation for thoughtful reporting and sharp industry analysis. His work later expanded into venture capital when he joined True Ventures as a venture partner.

Malik’s family announced his passing in a post published on his website, saying he died at Stanford Hospital following a prolonged heart illness.

“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 family wrote.

Born in India, Malik founded GigaOm in 2001, turning a personal technology blog into a respected media company and analyst firm that became required reading for entrepreneurs, investors, and technology executives. His reporting often looked beyond product announcements, focusing instead on the broader shifts reshaping the technology industry.

In 2008, he joined Silicon Valley venture capital firm True Ventures as a venture partner, where he advised and invested in early-stage startups.

True Ventures paid tribute to its longtime partner in a statement following the news.

“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,” the firm wrote.

The statement continued:

“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.”

The firm closed its tribute with a reflection on the values Malik championed throughout his career.

“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 more deeply and express our love for one another much 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.”

Tributes quickly spread across the technology community, with journalists, founders, and investors remembering Malik for his influence on an entire generation of tech reporting.

Emily Chang, host and executive producer of “The Circuit” and “Posthuman” at Bloomberg Originals, shared a personal tribute on X, recalling Malik’s impact on her career.

“Oh @om… When I first landed in Silicon Valley, Om Malik helped shape the journalist I became. He taught me not just to cover companies, but to understand the people behind them, question the hype, and never lose sight of the bigger picture.

He was a frequent guest on our show, even co-hosting with me at times, and he always brought the spice. You never had to wonder what Om really thought. He was fearless, deeply thoughtful, and never afraid to tell the tech industry hard truths, whether people wanted to hear them or not.”

Malik leaves behind a legacy that stretches far beyond the company he founded. His reporting challenged conventional thinking, his investments backed emerging founders, and his writing influenced countless journalists who followed his work. For many across Silicon Valley, his voice helped define an era of technology journalism built on curiosity, independence, and conviction.