Gil Gabriel Silberman ’86

Gil, a computer engineer, lawyer, and serial entrepreneur who shepherded at least five unicorns, died of pancreatic cancer Feb. 1, 2025, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was 59.

After graduating from Bishop McGuinness High School in Oklahoma City, Gil came to Princeton, where he majored in EECS and joined Colonial Club.

Soon after finishing, he began building companies and understanding the legal foundations, studying law at Berkeley and joining the bar in 1997.

Gil hit his stride co-founding Britton Silberman Cervantez, an early dot-com law firm. Outside the office he invested in music, starting restaurants like Butterfly, a jazz club in San Francisco.

He spoke often about giving back and was one of the first to recognize the far reach of the internet, starting hundreds of Wikipedia pages and writing thousands of answers on Quora.com. “I love the interaction, and leverage to maximize my paying back to the world,” Gil wrote.

To his wife Norie, the Class of 1986 extends its deepest condolences, gratitude, and appreciation.