Han Kang Obituary
Han grew up in Woodland Hills, CA, where during his youth and adolescence he gained local notoriety for his mischievous humor and willingness to test the limits of his teachers' and parents' patience. His classroom antics led him to the dean's office more than a handful of times, but Han was blessed with charisma and charm that enabled him to skirt the full repercussions of his roguish actions.
Han's quest for adventure led him to graduate high school at age 16 and enlist in the U.S. Army that summer just a few days after turning 17. In the military, Han excelled, earning recognition as an excellent marksman. Life in the military did not break Han nor did it build him up again; rather, he found new ways to pursue his mischievous schemes. Han, ever the entrepreneur, discovered ways to order pizza into the barracks, where he sold slices to his fellow infantry recruits and made a tidy profit. He eventually diversified his business into tobacco, a more lucrative endeavor.
After being discharged from the Army, Han eventually made his way to UC Berkeley, where he graduated with a degree in Philosophy. He had a wide range of interests and found his way into the technology field as a self-taught software engineer. Slowness was not a trait that Han possessed and the dizzying speed of his career trajectory was not surprising to anyone who knew him well.
Han played many important roles during his life. He was a dedicated friend, a cherished colleague, brother, and husband, but his most fulfilling role was being a doting father to his two daughters, Alisa and Mari. Han was the ultimate girl dad and his love and pride for his daughters was without end. Han will be remembered for his exuberance, the playful twinkle in his eyes, and his infectious cackle, and he will be missed by all who loved him dearly.
In addition to his daughters, Alisa and Mari, Han is also survived by his wife, Tomomi, and his sister, Sunny (Jason), and is preceded in death by his mother, Sung, and brother Zane. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to https://gofund.me/5ef5290f9
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Elaine Lu
September 14, 2025
I´ll always remember Han´s excitement for Kubernetes, his energy in guiding people toward the right path, and his passion for building people connections. You will be dearly missed, Han.
Alan Lawrence
September 14, 2025
Han was an excellent software engineer and a thoroughly nice person. Han partnered with my Kubernetes SRE team and was held in very high esteem. Han reached out to me earlier in the summer with a possible opportunity at CoreWeave. He did so with such graciousness it was impossible not to agree to a chat! The world has lost one of its best humans.
Richa Banker
September 11, 2025
I first met Han when I was still interviewing with Google and was being team matched. I remember him being so easy to talk to, he asked about what I was working on and we discussed some challenges with my ongoing work, for which he even offered some helpful tips. I'm so glad I chose that team. Back then, my rationale was the chance to work on Kubernetes and gain open-source experience. But now I know the best part was working with Han for over two years.
Han was there for me since my day one at Google - from helping with trivial tasks like sorting out permissions issues to setting me up for my first open source PR. His enthusiasm for open source was infectious. Gradually he went from advising me about my code to guiding me about my career. He taught me how to think like a good engineer - how there will always be problems to fix but how to identify the right problems to solve, how to always think about the end user and what they expect from a feature/functionality, how to always push for the right thing even when there were conflicts. In our 1:1s, he would always point me to interesting problems to solve or things to read - some technical, others philosophical. These discussions continued even after he left Google, and I was just so amazed by his consideration for the people he knew. He really cared. And he showed that not just with his words but also his actions.
Han was the rock for all my troubles. He was the person who "opened all the doors" for me. I was devastated to hear the news of him leaving Google and it was hard to imagine the team without Han. After he left, we still stayed in touch but it took some time for me to get used to not seeing him around. I think I was still coping with that when this tragic news dropped a week ago. Even today, I can't believe that he is no longer with us. Before this, whenever I would miss him, I would always imagine him being stellar at whatever he was doing, solving hard problems, sharing countless interesting ideas, having empathetic conversations and having fun while doing so. Now, I will always remember him that way.
I will forever remember his smile and his thoughtful expression as he listened so sincerely to whatever I had to say. I will also remember his big hug in Salt Lake City- our last in-person meeting, right before he left Google. I will forever miss you Han, and I don't have the words to thank you enough for your unwavering support, guidance, laughter, and all the incredible memories. Rest in peace.
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Paul Holden
September 8, 2025
I had the pleasure of working with Han over many years, at two different companies, but I think of him more as a friend than simply a colleague.
When he started at Google I remember being struck by his energy and enthusiasm - he stood out even in a company of exceptional people - and we immediately hit it off. Over the years there were periods where we ended up working on different things, but Han would always pop up in my DMs with an interesting link or bit of gossip he wanted to share.
One thing I got to learn about Han over the years was how considerate he was, and how he would put other people's needs ahead of his own. He always had an eye out for his teammates, made sure they got the support they needed and did what he could to help them succeed, even if that came at a cost to his own personal goals. I hope his family get to see how much he meant to the people who knew him as a friend and colleague.
RIP Han, you will be missed.
S
September 7, 2025
when i can watch movies again, i'll go see the latest mcu movie and save you a seat. gonna miss you
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