Who Owns GitHub? Microsoft Ownership Explained

Quick Answer

Microsoft Corporation owns GitHub. Microsoft acquired GitHub, Inc. in October 2018 through a $7.5 billion stock transaction, making the code-hosting and software development platform a Microsoft subsidiary.

• Owner: Microsoft Corporation
• Acquisition price: $7.5 billion in Microsoft stock
• Deal completed: October 25, 2018
• Original founders: Tom Preston-Werner, Chris Wanstrath, P. J. Hyett, and Scott Chacon
• Current structure: GitHub operates inside Microsoft’s developer and AI organization rather than as a separately traded company

Who Owns GitHub Today?

GitHub is owned by Microsoft Corporation, a publicly traded technology company listed on Nasdaq under the ticker MSFT. GitHub itself has no separately traded shares, public shareholders, or independent market capitalization.

Microsoft acquired all issued and outstanding GitHub shares in 2018. Its 2019 annual report states that the transaction was valued at $7.5 billion and that GitHub’s financial results were consolidated into Microsoft’s accounts from the acquisition date.

That structure means Microsoft shareholders indirectly own GitHub through their Microsoft stock. Large Microsoft investors may therefore have economic exposure to GitHub, but they do not hold direct stakes in GitHub, Inc.

GitHub was initially allowed to retain substantial operational independence after the acquisition. That independence narrowed after CEO Thomas Dohmke announced his departure in August 2025. Microsoft did not replace him with another standalone GitHub CEO and instead moved GitHub closer to its CoreAI organization, which combines AI platforms and developer tools.

GitHub Company Snapshot

GitHub remains a distinct brand, website, developer community, and product platform. Microsoft, however, controls its corporate strategy, leadership structure, capital allocation, and long-term integration with products such as Azure, Visual Studio, and Visual Studio Code.

How Did Microsoft Come to Own GitHub?

GitHub began in 2008 as a web-based platform built around Git, the open source version control system created by Linux founder Linus Torvalds. GitHub’s founders turned Git repositories into a social collaboration platform where software developers could review code, manage projects, and contribute to open source projects.

The company raised outside capital as it expanded. Andreessen Horowitz led a $100 million investment in 2012, while Sequoia Capital and other investors participated in a $250 million funding round in 2015. These investors owned private-company stakes before the Microsoft acquisition.

On June 4, 2018, Microsoft announced an agreement to buy GitHub for $7.5 billion in Microsoft stock. The transaction closed on October 25, 2018. Microsoft said GitHub would continue operating as an open platform and would preserve developer choice across programming languages, operating systems, devices, and cloud providers.

The acquisition also aligned with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s effort to rebuild the company’s relationship with open source developers. Microsoft was already using GitHub for projects including Visual Studio Code, PowerShell, .NET, and portions of its technical documentation.

Where Does GitHub Fit Inside Microsoft?

GitHub gives Microsoft a central position in the software development lifecycle. Developers use the platform to store repositories, collaborate on code, run automated workflows through GitHub Actions, secure applications, and deploy software across different clouds.

This role extends beyond direct subscription revenue. GitHub can introduce individual developers and enterprise teams to Microsoft’s broader ecosystem, including Azure cloud services, Visual Studio, and AI development tools.

Microsoft has historically reported GitHub within its Intelligent Cloud segment rather than publishing a separate GitHub income statement. As a result, Microsoft does not routinely disclose GitHub’s standalone revenue, profit, or current valuation.

GitHub Copilot has made the platform more strategically important. The AI coding service turns 

GitHub from primarily a repository and collaboration platform into a distribution channel for AI-assisted software development. It also places GitHub alongside Azure AI and Visual Studio Code within Microsoft’s wider developer strategy.

What Is Changing at GitHub?

GitHub has become more tightly integrated with Microsoft’s AI organization. Thomas Dohmke, GitHub’s CEO from 2021 to 2025, announced in an August 2025 GitHub post that he was leaving to start another company.

Microsoft then shifted GitHub’s operating responsibilities into its CoreAI organization rather than appointing a direct CEO successor. This marked a change from the relatively independent structure Microsoft emphasized when it bought the company.

GitHub’s current leadership page lists functional executives such as Chief Operating Officer Kyle Daigle but does not present a standalone chief executive. The platform is therefore still a recognizable Microsoft subsidiary, although its leadership and product direction are more closely connected to Microsoft’s broader AI plans.

The practical question for developers is no longer whether Microsoft owns GitHub. It is how far Microsoft will integrate GitHub Copilot, repositories, development agents, Azure infrastructure, and Visual Studio tools while maintaining GitHub’s open-platform identity.

How Does GitHub Ownership Compare With Its Competitors?

GitLab is a separate publicly traded company, GitLab Inc., so its investors can buy GitLab shares directly.

Bitbucket is owned by Atlassian and sits within a broader portfolio that includes Jira and Confluence.

SourceForge is privately operated and focuses more heavily on software distribution and open source project hosting.

AWS CodeCommit is owned by Amazon and was designed mainly for customers working within Amazon Web Services.

GitHub differs because it combines a very large developer community, open source visibility, enterprise software tools, and Microsoft’s cloud and AI resources.

FAQ

Is GitHub owned by Microsoft or Google?

Microsoft owns GitHub. Google has its own developer infrastructure and contributes to many GitHub repositories, but it has no disclosed ownership stake in GitHub.

Does Microsoft own Git?

No. Microsoft owns GitHub, not Git. Git is an open source distributed version control system originally created by Linus Torvalds. GitHub is one of several platforms that host and manage Git repositories.

Who owned GitHub before Microsoft?

Before the acquisition, GitHub was a privately held company owned by its founders, employees, and investors. Its major outside investors included Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital.

Is GitHub still an independent company?

GitHub remains a separate brand and legal operating entity, but it is not independent in an ownership sense. Microsoft controls the company and has integrated its leadership more closely with Microsoft’s CoreAI and developer-tool operations.

Can you buy GitHub stock?

You cannot buy GitHub stock directly because GitHub is not separately listed. Investors seeking financial exposure to GitHub can buy Microsoft shares, although GitHub represents only one part of Microsoft’s much larger business.

Why did Microsoft buy GitHub?

Microsoft bought GitHub to strengthen its position with software developers, expand its open source presence, and connect the developer platform with Microsoft tools and cloud services. The later growth of GitHub Copilot made the acquisition especially important to Microsoft’s AI strategy.