GitHub’s survival at stake under Microsoft
▼ Summary
– Microsoft’s $7.5 billion acquisition of GitHub in 2018 initially worried developers.
– Nearly eight years later, GitHub is struggling with outages, security issues, and competition.
– Recent problems include multiple major outages, a remote code execution vulnerability, and a hack of internal repositories.
– The hack was caused by a “poisoned” VS Code extension on an employee’s device.
– Current and former employees describe a company facing significant internal challenges.
When Microsoft finalized its $7.5 billion acquisition of GitHub in 2018, the developer community reacted with a mix of anxiety and cautious hope. Some feared the software giant would stifle the platform’s independence, while others chose to wait and see how things would unfold. Nearly eight years later, GitHub is now fighting for its survival, grappling with a wave of outages, escalating security flaws, and intensifying competition.
In recent weeks alone, the platform has suffered multiple major outages, disclosed a remote code execution vulnerability, and faced a data breach that compromised 3,800 internal repositories after a “poisoned” VS Code extension infected an employee’s device. Conversations with current and former GitHub employees reveal a company struggling under immense pressure, with internal morale and operational stability both at risk.
(Source: The Verge)
