Om Malik, the technology writer and early blogging figure whose work and friendships cut across Silicon Valley, has died, according to a memorial post on his site and a tribute by WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg. Malik’s site lists his years as 1966 to 2026.
Mullenweg described Malik as his best friend and said Malik had asked for only a small family prayer ceremony. Public mourning, at least for now, is happening where Malik spent much of his life: online, in blog posts, comments, photos and links shared by people who knew him or read him.
Mullenweg said he plans to hold a celebration of Malik’s life on Sept. 29, 2026, in San Francisco, the day Malik would have turned 60. He called the gathering “OmFest” and linked to a sign-up form. The planned event, as Mullenweg described it, would bring together Malik’s many circles, including technology, journalism, photography, pens, coffee, shoes and Indian party-planning friends.
The outline sounds like a conference because Malik apparently liked a good conference. Mullenweg said he wants booths, short talks, a photography gallery, a pen showcase and whatever else friends contribute. That is a fairly fitting memorial for someone remembered in the post as a person who treated online community as something made by humans, rather than a growth funnel with snacks.
Early WordPress ties
Malik’s connection to Mullenweg started online. Mullenweg said they met through forums and email because Malik was among the earliest people to adopt WordPress. They met in person in 2004, when Mullenweg was 20 and Malik was 38.
According to Mullenweg, Malik introduced him to the first investors he spoke with, Phil Black, who later formed True Ventures, and Tony Conrad. Mullenweg also credited Malik with introducing him to Toni Schneider, who became Automattic’s chief executive for the company’s first eight years and whom Mullenweg called his “business soul mate.”
Malik also showed up at very early WordPress gatherings. Mullenweg pointed to the first WordPress meetup at Chaat Cafe, now Chaat Corner, in San Francisco in 2005, where eight people attended and Malik was one of them.
Mullenweg used Malik’s early-platform instincts as another marker of his timing. Malik had the @om username on WordPress.com in 2005, with user ID 719, on Twitter in 2006 and on Instagram in 2010, according to Mullenweg.
Tributes spread online
Mullenweg said he spent Malik’s final weeks at his side and learned how many separate communities Malik belonged to. He described Malik as someone who became a regular wherever he went, learning the names and stories of baristas, people and dogs in San Francisco’s South Park and elsewhere.
Other remembrances have circulated through Techmeme and personal sites. Mullenweg singled out writing and photography shared by Christopher Michel as capturing the original blogging culture Malik helped build.
Mullenweg also wrote that Malik had a strong eye for craft, whether in photography or pens, and said Malik’s last word was “love.” He did not give a cause of death.
This story draws on original reporting from Matt Mullenweg.
