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Coding Website Github Acquired by Microsoft for $7.5 Billion

Following the acquisition of LinkedIn, Microsoft banks big on another service.

Brittany Vincent

June 4, 2018 9:15 AM

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After rumors swirled around a potential GitHub acquisition by Microsoft, things are finally official. Microsoft has announced an agreement to acquire the world's leading software development platform in a deal that'll cost the company a whopping $7.5 billion. The deal hasn't yet closed just yet, but it's expected to do so later this year.

The code repository has flourished in the coding and development community, allowing users to host code snippets, documentation, and other projects they're working on for others to see or to catalogue for future use. Microsoft is the top contributor to GitHub, so it's not hard to see why the firm would want to go ahead and purchase it for its own purposes. Larger companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google already utilize GitHub for various functions, in addition to a massive 28 million developer-strong network of other users.

After the acquisition, GitHub will transition to leadership by CEO Nat Friedman, who will be working under Microsoft's Cloud and AI chief Scott Guthrie. GitHub CEO and co-founder Chris Wanstrath will become a technical fellow at Microsoft under Guthrie as well.

Unfortunately, not everyone is so excited about the acquisition, with many understandably wary of the company taking over. After doing not so great of a job with Skype and Nokia, Microsoft isn't exactly the most trusted company for the task right now, and there are several concerns it will need to address before the acquisition is complete. It's not clear right now what will be happening to GitHub's day-to-day operations in the future, but like Microsoft's acquisition of LinkedIn, the website could continue to operate mostly untouched or altered.

“We are committed to being stewards of the GitHub community, which will retain its developer-first ethos, operate independently and remain an open platform. We will always listen to developer feedback and invest in both fundamentals and new capabilities,” says Satya Nadella. Hopefully it all ends up working out well for all parties involved.

As an aside, Microsoft stock is currently up, so apparently not everyone is as disenchanted with the news. 

Brittany Vincent

Senior Editor

Fueled by horror, rainbow-sugar-pixel-rushes, and video games, Brittany is a Senior Editor at Shacknews who thrives on surrealism and ultraviolence. Follow her on Twitter @MolotovCupcake and check out her portfolio for more. Like a fabulous shooter once said, get psyched!