The Seattle-based venture capital firm confirmed his death on Tuesday, May 19, describing him as a leader whose “brilliance and generous spirit” left a lasting impact on colleagues, entrepreneurs and developers.
Madrona said in a statement that Somasegar passed away unexpectedly. However, the exact cause of death has not been made public.
Who was Soma Somasegar?
Born in Puducherry, Somasegar built a distinguished career spanning nearly three decades in the technology sector.
He joined Microsoft in 1989 and spent close to 27 years at the company, contributing to eight releases of Windows, including work on the Windows NT operating system.
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Over the years, he rose to become Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Developer Division, where he oversaw major platforms such as Visual Studio and the .NET framework, as per NDTV.
He was also associated with the company’s push towards open-source server technologies and cloud-based developer ecosystems.
Somasegar played a key role in expanding Microsoft’s global research and development presence beyond the United States, supporting growth initiatives in Hyderabad, China, Israel and Boston.
Somasegar after Microsoft
After leaving Microsoft in 2015, he joined Madrona Venture Group as managing director, focusing on investments in artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud infrastructure and enterprise technology.
He was also an active angel investor in startups across the US and internationally.
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Somasegar held a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Anna University and a master’s degree in Computer Engineering from Louisiana State University.
Anna University later awarded him an honorary doctorate, while he received the Asian American Engineer of the Year Award in 2008.
Tributes from across Silicon Valley
Technology leaders and former colleagues remembered Somasegar as a mentor who shaped countless careers.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella described the loss as “very personal”, highlighting Somasegar’s influence on the company’s developer ecosystem, as per Moneycontrol.
Chennai-born entrepreneur and US President Donald Trump’s AI advisor Sriram Krishnan wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “It’s hard to articulate how much of an impact Soma had on @aarthir and me.”
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Former Microsoft executive Steven Sinofsky also paid tribute, writing: “His contributions to Microsoft and culture were as legendary as was the admiration and respect he earned from generations of the Softies he guided and led. Om Shanti, Soma.”
Somasegar is survived by his wife and two daughters, as per HT.
