Auf Wiedersehen, GitHub

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Reaction to the resignation and Hitchhiker’s quote

  • Many focus on the “So long, and thanks for all the fish” sign‑off.
  • Some read it as a dark joke: dolphins escaping before the “demolition” of what GitHub used to be.
  • Others insist it’s just a common geeky farewell, even internal GitHub culture, with no subtext.
  • A few think it’s an attempt to seem “cool” after being strongly associated with AI/Copilot.

GitHub folding into Microsoft CoreAI

  • Key concern: GitHub leadership and mission move into Microsoft’s “CoreAI” org, and the CEO role won’t be replaced.
  • This is widely interpreted as GitHub no longer being run as an independent product, but as an AI platform component.
  • Some find this predictable given Microsoft’s “everything is AI” strategy; others see it as the end of the “cool, open” Microsoft era.

AI, Copilot, and developers’ work

  • The former CEO’s “embrace AI or get out of your career” messaging is heavily criticized as antagonistic and “C‑suite therapy speak.”
  • Others note the original quote context was a developer interview, but agree he later embraced it in his own posts.
  • Some are offended by blog framing that reduces programming to “managing outcomes with agents,” feeling it devalues creative work.

Product direction and user experience

  • Several complain GitHub has become slower and more fragile as more React/SPA elements were added (sluggish diffs, unreliable back button, laggy code viewer).
  • Some argue feature growth and scale justify some instability; others say core UX has been neglected in favor of AI.
  • Gamification and profile “achievements” are seen by some as unnecessary social‑media creep; others don’t mind or barely notice.

Licensing, ethics, and trust

  • Strong resentment toward Copilot’s training on public code; some call it “stealing,” others blame permissive licenses and naïve maintainers.
  • There’s concern (but no evidence in the thread) that private repos might also have been used.
  • Several say they no longer trust Microsoft with their code, especially as GitHub becomes more AI‑centric.

Alternatives and migration

  • Some plan to migrate away, especially for closed‑source projects.
  • Mentioned alternatives: self‑hosting (Gitea/Forgejo, Sourcehut), Codeberg for OSS, and smaller hosts like Codefloe.
  • Self‑hosting is framed as the only way to be confident code isn’t used for AI training.

Corporate structure and timing

  • Discussion over whether a “CEO” of a Microsoft‑owned subsidiary is really a CEO or just a division head.
  • Some find it suspicious that an aggressive pro‑AI post preceded the resignation; others say the sequence and reasons are unclear.