Obituary: Leslie Nassar – Tech genius who respected competency and integrity; and eschewed machismo and superficiality
Ahead of a celebration on Thursday of the life of Leslie Nassar, friends and colleagues Andrea Horton, Cathie McGinn, Dan Nolan and Nic Christensen remember a pivotal figure in Australia’s digital industry
In recent days, social media has seen a flood of tributes for Leslie Nassar, who was taken from us in tragic circumstances last weekend.
Those who know Leslie well know one thing: he would have absolutely hated all of this attention. A man who loved and understood Twitter better than many of Twitter’s own team, the prospect of trending on Twitter himself, as he did for several days this week, would have left him mortified.
He would also have been overwhelmed by both the recognition for his legacy but also the amount of love being shown to him, and most especially the concern for the three girls who, along with his wife, he leaves behind.
The news of Leslie’s death, the result of a hit and run, has devastated many in the Australian media space.
Thanks for sharing this. It’s a thoughtful and caring tribute to a marvellous man
Words cannot describe how touching this tribute to Leslie is. I was lucky enough to work with Leslie on and off for nearly eight years now. On the day that we are coming together, be it in the real world, or in digital space, to celebrate his life, I just wanted to say that Leslie Nassar, was to me, a guy who had a really great take on culture and society in the 21st Century. He was also technologically brilliant . Most importantly, he actually cared about the world. The result of these forces coming together, as many have described – was genius. He will be so missed and my heart goes out to his family, friends, and co-workers, and his beloved dog, who are, no doubt, like myself, totally devastated by his passing.