Omar Ahmad, American entrepreneur (Napster) and politician, Mayor of San Carlos, California (2010–2011), died from a heart attack he was , 46

Omar Ahmad was an American Internet entrepreneur and politician died from a heart attack he was , 46. Ahmad formerly served as the Chief technology officer of Napster in addition to many other positions and ventures in in Silicon Valley.^[1] In 2007, He was elected to the city council of San Carlos, California. He served as Mayor of San Carlos from November 2010 until his death in 2011.




(June 25, 1964- May 10, 2011)

Biography

Omar Ahmad was born to immigrant parents from Pakistan in Ohio.^[2] His parents, Dr. Iftikhar and Nadira Ahmad,^[3] became American citizens on July 4, 1976.^[2] The family moved to Palatka, Florida, where Ahmad was raised.^[2] He received a bachelor's degree in materials science engineering from the University of Florida.^[2]
In 1991, Ahmad ran unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Gainesville City Commission.^[2] He soon left Gainsville, Florida, to take a position with the Discovery Channel in suburban Washington D.C.^[2]

 Internet entrepreneur

Ahmad spent five years working at the Discovery Channel before moving to Silicon Valley, California in 1998 during the height of the dot-com bubble.^[1] His early ventures included positions at the now defunct @Home Network, GrandCentral (which is now Google Voice) and Netscape.^[1]
Ahmad then joined Napster as chief technical officer (C.T.O.).^[1] As Napster's C.T.O., Ahmad was responsible for shutting down the file sharing site after a series of court rulings against the company.^[1]
He went on to establish several other Dot-com companies and Internet startups. He founded and served as CEO of TrustedID, an identity theft protection company, and Logictier.^[1] His most recent venture was the launch of SynCH Energy Corp, a company whose goal is to covert greenhouse gases released from sewage treatment plants into fuel for automobiles.^[1][3]

 Philanthropy

Ahmad's philanthropic causes included the National Youth Science Foundation. He served as the executive director of American Muslims Intent on Learning and Activism (AMILA).^[1][3] Ahmad was also an contributor and speaker at TED during its conferences.^[1]

 Political career

Ahmad was elected to the city council of San Carlos, California, in 2007.^[4] He was chosen as Mayor of San Carlos by the city council in November 2010, serving in that office until his death in 2011.^[4]
Ahmad is credited with helping to eliminate San Carlos' $3.5 million budget deficit in 2010.^[3] At the time of Ahmad's death, the city had a $400,000 budget surplus in May 2011, ending eleven years of cuts and deficits.^[3]
In addition to elected office, Ahmad served as the vice chairman of the board of directors for Caltrain, the commuter rail in the San Francisco Bay area, and a board member of SamTrans.^[3]
Omar Ahmad suffered a heart attack at his home in San Carlos, California, on the morning of May 10, 2011.^[3] He was taken to Sequoia Hospital, in Redwood City, California, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival at the age of 46.^[3] He was survived by his parents, Dr. Iftikhar and Nadira Ahmad, and two sisters, Leah Berry and Fataima Warner.^[3]

 

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