Om Malik
Om Malik died this week. Om was a blogger / photographer / tech journalist I'd followed for twenty years. He had a way of writing that held my attention, with a fluidity and a wisdom that is increasingly hard to find, without the cynicism that has taken hold of many.
He suffered a heart attack twenty years ago, at about the age I am today, and afterward stepped back from the frantic world of tech journalism. He wrote less frequently, turning his attention to photography, but his words were wiser, more prescient. This year, he focused on the truth behind the modern tech hype cycle: that velocity matters more than reality, that we allow the lies because we want them to be true.
By all accounts, he lived a life of empathy, taking time to respond to complete strangers and always considerate of founders as people. He advised the industry to consider the human consequences:
It is time for our industry to pause and take a moment to think... Otherwise, come 2020, Silicon Valley will have become an even bigger villain in the popular imagination, much like its East Coast counterpart, Wall Street.
I never talked with Om, but after reading someone for so long, you feel a connection to their thoughts. An important voice is gone, but his perspective helped shape my own.