[Updated, 7/5/18. See below] It is with profound sadness that we at Xconomy say goodbye to our longtime friend and editor of Xconomy San Diego, Bruce Bigelow. An outstanding journalist, colleague, and friend, and a fixture of the San Diego innovation scene, Bruce passed away today at age 63 after a brief illness.
We are in shock at this awful turn of events. We are a close-knit team despite being spread out around the country, and just two weeks ago several of us had the rare pleasure of catching up with Bruce in person at an Xconomy event in California. He was his usual charming and professional self. After the event, he had gone on a hiking trip in Utah, but he returned to San Diego last weekend and checked himself into the hospital with difficulty breathing and other symptoms. Things quickly took a turn for the worse and he was placed on life support early this week and never recovered. Doctors at last report were unsure of the root cause, but suspected a virus.
We will be posting a tribute to Bruce in the coming days. Our hearts are with him and his family, his two children, and all who loved him.
[Update: We have posted another story here and a special tribute site here with Bruce’s stories, music, and memories from friends and colleagues. Please check back for further updates.]
[Update: Bruce’s memorial service will be on Friday, July 13, at 5:30pm in San Diego.]
Author: Robert Buderi
Bob is Xconomy's founder and chairman. He is one of the country's foremost journalists covering business and technology. As a noted author and magazine editor, he is a sought-after commentator on innovation and global competitiveness. Before taking his most recent position as a research fellow in MIT's Center for International Studies, Bob served as Editor in Chief of MIT's Technology Review, then a 10-times-a-year publication with a circulation of 315,000. Bob led the magazine to numerous editorial and design awards and oversaw its expansion into three foreign editions, electronic newsletters, and highly successful conferences. As BusinessWeek's technology editor, he shared in the 1992 National Magazine Award for The Quality Imperative.
Bob is the author of four books about technology and innovation. Naval Innovation for the 21st Century (2013) is a post-Cold War account of the Office of Naval Research. Guanxi (2006) focuses on Microsoft's Beijing research lab as a metaphor for global competitiveness. Engines of Tomorrow (2000) describes the evolution of corporate research. The Invention That Changed the World (1996) covered a secret lab at MIT during WWII. Bob served on the Council on Competitiveness-sponsored National Innovation Initiative and is an advisor to the Draper Prize Nominating Committee. He has been a regular guest of CNBC's Strategy Session and has spoken about innovation at many venues, including the Business Council, Amazon, eBay, Google, IBM, and Microsoft.
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