GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke to Exit as Microsoft Integrates Platform into Core AI Division
Dohmke, who moved from Germany to the United States over a decade ago after selling his startup to Microsoft, reflected on his journey in a heartfelt farewell post. 'Over a decade ago, my family and I made the leap to move from Germany to the United States after the sale of my startup to Microsoft. In the years since, I've had the privilege of working with many exceptional human beings, including Hubbers, Microsofties, customers, partners, our GitHub Stars, open-source maintainers, and developers around the world who've helped us shape GitHub,' he wrote.
The reshuffle will see Julia Liuson, head of Microsoft's developer division, take charge of GitHub's revenue, engineering, and support functions. Meanwhile, GitHub chief product officer Mario Rodriguez will now report to Asha Sharma, Microsoft's head of product for AI platforms.
Dohmke played a key role in Microsoft's $7.5 billion all-stock acquisition of GitHub in 2018, working closely with then-CEO Nat Friedman. Under his leadership, the platform expanded its global footprint, achieved US FedRAMP certification for government usage, and doubled the number of AI-related projects hosted.
GitHub now serves more than 150 million developers worldwide, offering tools that make it easier to create, manage, and collaborate on software projects. A standout achievement during Dohmke's tenure was the introduction and rapid growth of GitHub Copilot, an AI-powered coding assistant that can generate code snippets, suggest solutions, and boost developer productivity. The tool has become central to Microsoft's vision of integrating AI into every stage of the software development process.
Although Microsoft has not yet named a permanent successor, Dohmke will remain in his role through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition.
In his farewell note, he hinted that his next chapter will take him back to his entrepreneurial roots. 'I've decided to leave GitHub to become a founder again,' he shared, keeping details of his new venture under wraps. Reflecting on the broader mission of GitHub and AI's role in shaping the future of coding, he added, 'We only succeed when the world succeeds, too. By launching this new age of developer AI, we've made it possible for anyone — no matter what language they speak at home or how fluent they are in programming — to take their spark of creativity and transform it into something real. I am more convinced than ever that the world will soon see one billion developers enabled by billions of AI agents, each imprinting human ingenuity into a new gold rush of software. When that day comes, we'll know where the path began: with GitHub.'
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