Scott Raymond Adams

Scott Adams, the cartoonist who gave voice to the frustrations of office workers everywhere with his iconic comic strip Dilbert, passed away on January 13, 2026, at the age of 68. His death was announced by his former wife, Shelly Miles, during a livestream on his YouTube channel, Real Coffee with Scott Adams. She confirmed that he died Tuesday morning following a battle with metastatic prostate cancer, a diagnosis he had publicly shared with his audience in May 2025.

Adams launched Dilbert in 1989 while working at Pacific Bell, drawing on his own corporate experiences to satirize the absurdities of micromanagement, buzzwords, and cubicle life. The strip became a global phenomenon in the 1990s, syndicated in over 2,000 newspapers and spawning a dedicated merchandising empire, an animated TV series, and several bestselling business books, including The Dilbert Principle. For decades, his work was a touchstone for white-collar employees, providing a humorous outlet for the daily indignities of the workplace.

In his later years, Adams transitioned from cartoonist to a provocative online commentator and author, exploring topics such as persuasion, politics, and success strategies in books like Win Bigly and How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big. His pivot to political commentary garnered a dedicated new following but also drew significant controversy. In 2023, his syndication career effectively ended after remarks he made about race on his podcast led major publishers and newspapers to drop his comic strip.

Adams remained active online until his final days, recording daily livestreams and engaging with his community of listeners. In a final letter read by his ex-wife, he reflected on his life's work and his shift toward finding meaning through helping others. He is survived by his family and the complex legacy of a man who defined workplace humor for a generation before becoming a polarizing figure in the digital age.