Kara Swisher on re/code writes on Om Malik’s move full time to True Ventures, leaving GigaOm. It is funny how many times people think Om’s name is Giga Om. Going to True Ventures, Om won’t have this problem as much. Om is different than most media in that he has made the jump to the VC community. Reading Kara’s post reminds me of things that make Om fit in a technical community.
A sassy tech blog with class and standards and ethics and a big, big, voice?
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But Om has been much more than a disruptor. He has also been a generous and kind adviser to anyone who needed help, including to competitors; a smart and analytical writer, whose fog-horn sensibilities nearly always cut through the incessant soup of hype that blankets the Bay Area tech landscape; a terrific reporter at his core, who knows news, has a nose for news and, well, knows it.
Kara closes also making the point on Om’s name.
From Medieval Latin, omniscient means “all-knowing,” which kind of sums up Om a lot of the time.
His own name also is defined as a “mystic syllable, considered the most sacred mantra.” Perhaps that’s going to far — I know he’d think (and say) so.
So let’s just agree that it’s been a good name — a really good name — to represent tech journalism online and we’re all the better for it and owe him a debt of gratitude.
Here is True Ventures post on Om joining.
Om is known for his prescient thoughts about the tech industry, his deep understanding of markets and trends, and his fast friendships with most of the other thought leaders in our industry. He is the most loyal and thoughtful friend an entrepreneur could ever ask for, including all of us at True. Few people in Silicon Valley are as respected, and as someone who has known Om for a long time, I can say with absolute authority that few people are as kind.
That is why it is an incredible honor to announce today that Om Malik will join True as a full-time partner. He has detailed his decision on GigaOM, and we are unbelievably blessed to have him dedicate the majority of his time to True. Om personifies this firm’s love affair with technology, and we are so looking forward to having him, his big ideas and his big heart around a lot more.
What’s Om doing?
Status Update
I have hung up my reporter’s notebook for good and retired from the news business. I have joined early stage venture capital firm, True Ventures, as a full partner of the firm.
It is great to see people make transitions and grow.
Disclosure: I work part time for GigaOm Research and have had the pleasure of good conversations with Om.
