Remembering Soma Somasegar
Saddened to learn of the passing of S. “Soma” Somasegar yesterday at age 59.
I first came to know S. Somasegar during his Microsoft years, where his leadership of the Developer Division shaped the tools an entire generation of us built our careers on. As a Microsoft Regional Director and MVP, I felt — like so many in the developer community — the imprint of his stewardship: Visual Studio, .NET, and the open-source pivot that quietly redefined what Microsoft could mean to developers.
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That same conviction carried into his work at Madrona, and into the cloud-and-AI ecosystem many of us across the enterprise now build on every day.
Last year, my colleagues and I had the privilege of spending time with him in Seattle. What struck us — what struck everyone who met him — was the warmth behind the résumé. He listened more than he spoke, asked the better question, and made you feel like your work mattered.
My condolences to his wife Akila, their daughters, and the extended Microsoft and Madrona Venture Labs families. The community is poorer for his absence, and richer for having had him.
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