GitHub

GitHub is a web-based platform for version control and software development collaboration, founded in 2008 by Tom Preston-Werner, Chris Wanstrath, PJ Hyett, and Scott Chacon. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, it is built on top of the Git version control system and provides hosting for code repositories alongside tools for issue tracking, pull requests, and project management.

GitHub's core product is its repository hosting service, which supports both public and private repositories. The platform includes GitHub Actions for CI/CD automation, GitHub Copilot (an AI-assisted code completion tool developed in partnership with OpenAI), GitHub Packages for package hosting, and GitHub Pages for static site hosting. It serves a broad range of users from individual developers to large enterprises, and hosts repositories for major open-source projects including the Linux kernel, React, and VS Code.

Microsoft acquired GitHub in June 2018 for approximately $7.5 billion in Microsoft stock. Prior to the acquisition, GitHub had raised around $350 million in venture funding, including a $250 million Series A from Andreessen Horowitz in 2012. Thomas Dohmke became CEO in 2021, succeeding Nat Friedman. GitHub Copilot, launched in 2021 and made generally available in 2022, became a significant revenue driver offered as a paid subscription product for individual developers and enterprises.