6 days ago
GitHub chief executive Thomas Dohmke to step down, cites plans to become a founder
Thomas Dohmke, the CEO of Microsoft-owned software development platform GitHub, has announced his decision to step down after nearly four years at the helm. Dohmke revealed on Monday that he plans to return to his entrepreneurial roots by becoming a founder once again.
In a heartfelt message posted on X, Dohmke expressed gratitude towards GitHub employees, whom he affectionately calls 'Hubbers', describing his time with the company as 'the ride of a lifetime.'
Reflecting on his journey, Dohmke shared that over a decade ago, he and his family moved from Germany to the United States following the sale of his startup to Microsoft. Since then, he has collaborated with a diverse community including GitHub staff, Microsoft employees, customers, partners, and open-source developers worldwide. He highlighted his progression from building mobile developer tools to leading GitHub through significant milestones such as its acquisition and the launch of AI-powered initiatives like Copilot.
Despite his accomplishments, Dohmke said his passion for startups has drawn him back. He will remain at GitHub through the end of 2025 to support a smooth leadership transition. He expressed pride in the company's evolution as a remote-first organisation with a global footprint.
Under his leadership, GitHub has strengthened its position with over one billion repositories and forks and a developer base exceeding 150 million. The platform has expanded its reach internationally and earned key certifications, while GitHub Advanced Security has revolutionised vulnerability management through AI, significantly reducing remediation times.
Additionally, GitHub Actions has solidified its role as a leading continuous integration solution, processing three billion minutes monthly, a 64 per cent increase year-over-year.
Dohmke also emphasised the transformative impact of GitHub Copilot, which has evolved from a simple autocompletion tool into a comprehensive AI coding assistant with over 20 million users. This innovation has been the largest shift in software development since the personal computer, he said. GitHub Copilot's advancements include partnerships with major AI firms and new features such as synchronous and asynchronous coding agents.
