"Microsoft is a developer-first company, and by joining forces with GitHub, we strengthen our commitment to developer freedom, openness and innovation,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in a statement.
Despite the acquisition, and Microsoft Corporate Vice President Nat Friedman becoming GitHub's new CEO, GitHub will continue to operate independently, according to the press release.
“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 forces with Microsoft to help make it a reality,” said former GitHub CEO Chris Wanstrath in the same statement.
GitHub has also been gaining ground in government over the past few years. Back in 2013 Scott Chacon, then CIO of GitHub, talked about the government's use of open code. He said in a VentureBeat article that he wished the government would fully embrace open source instead of just dabbling in it and that it could solve many government issues, including things like the HealthCare.gov launch, which experienced major issues.
The acquisition by Microsoft is still not fully complete, due to closing conditions and regulatory review, but the company expects to wrap it up by the end of the calendar year.
