Microsoft is expanding its company as it adds a new business. It recently revealed that it would acquire software developer GitHub.
Microsoft Purchases GitHub
The technology company announced the purchase on its website on Monday, June 4. Microsoft wrote that it would help software developers strengthen their ability to create quality products. It also noted that the company would increase GitHub's entrepreneurial activities and bring Microsoft software developing tools to content creators.
Microsoft will acquire GitHub for $7.5 billion in Microsoft stock and revealed that the deal would go under regulatory review. The technology company added that GitHub would remain an independent platform that is opened to all businesses. It was announced that Nat Friedman, Microsoft Corporate Vice President, would replace GitHub co-founder Chris Wanstrath as GitHub's Chief Executive Officer once the transaction is complete.
Satya Speaks
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wrote a blog post on the company's website following the announcement. He noted that digital technology is transforming the world. Nadella added that developers are playing a significant role in creating code on GitHub. He said that over 28 million developers used GitHub to build their projects and added that there were 85 million coding warehouses that were on the platform.
Nadella shared that Microsoft will help cultivate the GitHub community. He mentioned that they would take developer feedback seriously and vowed that it would maintain a developer-first ethos. Nadella hoped that he, Wanstrath, and Friedman would be able to enhance the GitHub platform that is continued to be trusted by both developers and organizations.
Chris Wanstrath Reflects
Following Nadella's blog post, Wanstrath posted the exciting announcement on GitHub's official blog. He noted that the end of 2018 would finalize the business transaction. Wanstrath recognized that the Microsoft is active within the GitHub community. He added that Microsoft incorporated GitHub's Electron platform when the software company built their VS Code project.
He also noted that GitHub was particularly impressed with Microsoft on how the company helped increased business for both LinkedIn and Minecraft when Microsoft recently acquired both online platforms. Wanstrath added that he would work closely with Friedman in a new role as a Microsoft fellow and believed that Microsoft's goals on working with developers would help increase its reliability to its users.
"I'm extremely proud of what GitHub and our community have accomplished over the past decade, and I can't wait to see what lies ahead. The future of software development is bright, and I'm thrilled to be joining Microsoft to help make it a reality," said Wanstrath in the blog post.
Tech Times reached out to both Microsoft and GitHub for additional comments on this story.
