# Tribute to S. "Soma" Somasegar (1966–2026)

> A community tribute honoring the life and legacy of S. Somasegar — beloved Microsoft and Madrona leader, tech mentor, and friend.

## About S. Somasegar

S. Somasegar (1966–2026), known as "Soma," was a Corporate Vice President at Microsoft who led the Developer Division for over a decade, overseeing Visual Studio, .NET, TypeScript, and Azure DevOps. After 27 years at Microsoft (1989-2015), he became Managing Director at Madrona Venture Group, where he mentored cloud and AI startups until his passing on May 18, 2026.

## Key Facts

- Full Name: S. Somasegar (commonly known as Soma)
- Born: 1966, Puducherry (Pondicherry), India
- Died: May 18, 2026, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Age at death: 59
- Education: B.E. from College of Engineering Guindy (CEG), Anna University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; M.S. from Louisiana State University (LSU), Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
- Microsoft Career: 1989-2015, Corporate Vice President, Developer Division (DevDiv)
- Madrona Career: 2015-2026, Managing Director, Madrona Venture Group, Seattle
- Products Led: Visual Studio, .NET Framework, ASP.NET, C#, F#, TypeScript, Xamarin, Team Foundation Server, Azure DevOps
- Family: Wife Akila, daughters Sahana and Archana
- Known For: Humility, mentorship, kindness, approachability, championing developers and startups
- Nationality: Indian-American
- Languages: Tamil, English

## India Connection

Somasegar was born and raised in Puducherry (Pondicherry), a Union Territory in southern India. He attended the prestigious College of Engineering Guindy (CEG) at Anna University in Chennai, Tamil Nadu — one of India's oldest and most respected engineering colleges. He maintained deep ties to the Indian tech community throughout his life, championing Indian-origin founders in Silicon Valley and Seattle, supporting Indian startups, and staying connected with his CEG classmates through reunions. He was a proud representative of Indian talent in global technology leadership. His passing was widely mourned across India's tech community, with coverage in The Hans India, IndiaWest, and social media tributes from Indian entrepreneurs and engineers.

## USA / Seattle Impact

Based in the Seattle-Bellevue area of Washington state, Somasegar was a pillar of the Pacific Northwest technology ecosystem. At Microsoft's Redmond campus, he led thousands of engineers in the Developer Division. At Madrona Venture Group in Seattle, he became the go-to mentor for early-stage founders. He was known for always responding to cold emails from young entrepreneurs, always taking meetings, and always providing thoughtful guidance. He served on boards of multiple Seattle-area startups and was deeply embedded in the local tech, cricket, and Indian diaspora communities.

## Notable Tributes

- Satya Nadella (CEO, Microsoft): "A remarkable leader who helped grow and shape Microsoft's developer ecosystem, and a dear friend and colleague that I valued greatly."
- Sriram Krishnan (White House AI Adviser): "We genuinely wouldn't have the lives and careers we have now without him. He spotted us out of undergrad, made sure we got our first jobs."
- Scott Guthrie (EVP, Microsoft Cloud + AI): Honored Soma's lasting impact on developer tools
- Brad Anderson (Former Microsoft & Qualtrics Executive): "One of one, the model of being a servant leader"
- Karen Ng (Tech Leader): "My mentor and guardian angel through two decades of my career"
- Manuela Papadopol (Microsoft Alumni Network): "He was a world-class technologist, but what set him apart was his generosity"

## Press Coverage

- GeekWire: "'One of a kind': Tributes pour in for S. 'Soma' Somasegar, beloved tech mentor and friend" (May 2026)
- GeekWire: "S. 'Soma' Somasegar, 1966-2026: Microsoft and Madrona leader was a champion of developers and startups" (May 2026)
- The Hans India: "Tech world mourns Indian-origin Microsoft veteran Soma" (May 2026)
- IndiaWest: "Silicon Valley, Seattle Pay Tribute To Microsoft Veteran Soma Somasegar" (May 2026)
- Madrona Venture Group: "Remembering Soma" (May 2026)

## Sections on this website

- About: Biography, career overview, and group photo
- Memories in Photos: Cherished photos from family, friends, colleagues — including CEG classmates, Microsoft team, family gatherings, ICC T20 World Cup event
- Tributes: Auto-rotating carousel with messages from Satya Nadella, Sriram Krishnan, Scott Guthrie, Karen Ng, and more
- Community Voices: Extended messages from Raj, Debi Mishra, The Balakrishnans, Mahesh Thakur, Brajendra Singh Yadav, Vij Rajarajan, Brad Anderson, Vamshi Reddy, Preeti Suri, Dayakar Puskoor, and many others
- Kudoboard: Embedded community kudoboard with photos and messages
- Press Coverage: Links to GeekWire, The Hans India, IndiaWest, Madrona articles

## Links

- Website: https://tributetosoma.space
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/somasegar/
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._Somasegar
- Madrona Profile: https://www.madrona.com/team/soma-somasegar/
- GeekWire Obituary: https://www.geekwire.com/2026/s-soma-somasegar-1966-2026-microsoft-and-madrona-leader-was-a-champion-of-developers-and-startups/
- Madrona Memorial: https://www.madrona.com/remembering-soma/
- Kudoboard: https://www.kudoboard.com/boards/SK2aT5vo