Exclusive: GitHub CEO to step down
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GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke announced Monday that he plans to step down, with Microsoft opting not to directly replace the position, according to memos shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: GitHub, which has operated largely independently since Microsoft acquired it in 2018, has become increasingly important to Microsoft's overall strategy to woo developers to Windows and Azure, as well as to its suite of AI tools.
Driving the news: Dohmke told staff in an email, seen by Axios, that he is leaving to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors.
- In a separate memo, Microsoft CoreAI head Jay Parikh outlined a new structure that will see GitHub leadership reporting to several Microsoft executives.
- Microsoft developer division head Julia Liuson will oversee GitHub's revenue, engineering and support.
- GitHub chief product officer Mario Rodriguez will report to Microsoft AI platform VP Asha Sharma.
The big picture: The world has changed a great deal since Microsoft acquired GitHub seven years ago. At the time, buying the code repository site was seen mostly as an embrace of the open source world Microsoft once shunned.
- However, with the rise of generative AI, GitHub has grown into a central place for developers to do their work.
- For Microsoft, meanwhile, GitHub has been at the leading edge of a broader effort to add AI-powered copilots throughout its product portfolio.
What they're saying: Dohmke said he is leaving with GitHub in good shape. "With more than 1B repos and forks, and over 150 million developers, GitHub has never been stronger than it is today," he said in his email. "Because of your relentless work, GitHub Copilot has introduced the greatest change to software development since the advent of the personal computer."
- Parikh, meanwhile, stressed that "GitHub leadership team will continue to shape the path ahead."
