Pillai was a regular contributor to pro-opposition publications, such as the official mouthpiece of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), Harakah, independent online news and commentary portals Malaysia Today and Malaysiakini.
He was one of the first Malaysian journalists to see the potential of the internet; he founded a mailing list-based current affairs discussion forum, Sang Kancil ("The Mouse Deer") and mggpillai.com, his self-titled but now-defunct news and commentary website.
He rose to national prominence during the heyday of the Reformasi ("Reform") movement, which blossomed following the sacking of the then Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in 1998.
His internet-based commentaries and reporting were at the forefront in chronicling the political turmoil amid a time when the internet was in its infancy in Malaysia.
Pillai died on 28 April 2006 at the University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, due to heart-related complications.