Microsoft folds GitHub into Core AI as CEO Thomas Dohmke resigns to start new venture

India Today

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GitHub chief executive Thomas Dohmke is stepping down from the Microsoft-owned coding platform to start a new company, ending a leadership run marked by a strong push into artificial intelligence. Dohmke says he moved from Germany to the United States over ten years ago after selling his startup to Microsoft; he says the choice was fuelled by his entrepreneurial drive. 'I've decided to leave GitHub to become a founder again,' he wrote in a blog post, without sharing details of his next project.advertisement"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," the blog post reads. Yes, Microsoft calls its employees "Microsofties".His departure comes as Microsoft integrates GitHub more deeply into its Core AI division. Axios first reported that Julia Liuson, head of Microsoft's developer division, will now oversee GitHub's revenue, engineering and support functions.
GitHub chief product officer Mario Rodriguez will now report to Asha Sharma, head of product for Microsoft's AI platform. Prior to becoming CEO, Dohmke was instrumental in Microsoft's $7.5 billion all-stock acquisition of GitHub in 2018, working closely with then-CEO Nat Friedman. During his time at the helm, GitHub expanded internationally, achieved US FedRAMP certification for government use, and saw the number of AI-related projects on its platform double.According to the company's website, over 150 million developers around the world now use GitHub's tools to create, manage, and collaborate on software projects. The launch of its Copilot products, which assist programmers by generating code using AI, has been a major part of its recent growth.Microsoft has not yet commented on who will permanently replace Dohmke. His transition period will run until the end of the year.In his farewell note, Dohmke reflected on his time leading GitHub and hinted at his passion for starting new ventures. 'My startup roots' were at the heart of his decision, he wrote, signalling a return to building from the ground up. "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," Dohmke concluded his farewell blog.- EndsMust Watch