GitHub is an online repository and cloud-based service that helps developers store and manage their code, as well as track and control changes to their code. It provides code hosting services that allow developers/people to build software for open source and private projects in organizations.
Microsoft announced its acquisition of GitHub sometime in 2018 at a whooping sum of $7.5 billion. However, the company reports that the service now has over 90 million active users up from 28 million when it was acquired and an annual recurring revenue of $1 billion, up from a reported $200 to $300 million at the time of its acquisition.
“Since our acquisition, GitHub is now at $1 billion annual recurring revenue and GitHub’s developer-first ethos has never been stronger, More than 90 million people now use the service to build software for any cloud, on any platform — up three times” Satya Nadella (Microsoft CEO)
Amidst these record-breaking achievements, developers, especially open-source advocates are sceptical that Microsoft might change the way the service operated and worried that it might reduce or scrap its free offerings in order to garner more money. However, GitHub reassured its users by expanding its free service and has continued to embrace its open-source model and open-source developers.