GitHub could be acquired by Microsoft

[Adam Wilson]

On 6/3/18 20:51, Anton Fediushin wrote:
> This is still just a rumour, we'll know the truth on Monday (which is 
> today).
> 
> Some articles about the topic:
> 
> https://fossbytes.com/microsoft-github-aquisition-report/
> https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/3/17422752/microsoft-github-acquisition-rumors 
> 
> 
> What's your opinion about that? Will you continue using GitHub?
> 
> Both GitLab and Bitbucket can be used instead to host your D projects - 
> dub registry supported them for a while now.
> 
> IMHO Microsoft isn't the type of company I want to see behind the 
> GitHub. Maybe I am wrong since Microsoft has both money and programmers 
> to improve it further, I just don't trust them too much which is the 
> right thing to do when dealing with companies. This means that I will 
> move my repositories elsewhere and use GitHub just to contribute to 
> other projects.
> 

I've been thinking how to best respond to this and here is where I am.

First, let me state up-front that I work for Microsoft (Office 365 
Workplace Analytics). Second, my employer (Volometrix) prior to working 
for Microsoft was acquired by Microsoft almost three years ago.

What that means is that while my division had no fore-warning of this 
acquisition I have first-hand experience with what will be happening at 
GitHub over the next months and years.

As an employee of Microsoft I am required to follow Microsoft's policy 
on Social Media, which can be reduced to "If you have nothing nice to 
say, then say nothing at all." Or stated plainly, what follows may or 
may not represent the entirety of my thoughts on the matter as I am 
effectively barred from revealing any negative thoughts.

So what I can say about this acquisition is that it is the best possible 
outcome of GitHub's possible futures for both the company and the 
employees. GitHub has not been profitable for years and is thought to 
have had cash reserves for only one or two more months of operations. 
Losing GitHub entirely overnight would have been an unmitigated disaster 
for the entire Open-Source community. And there are fates worse than 
death. Imagine for a second GitHub at Google or ... *shudder* Oracle. 
Whatever your opinions about Microsoft, you cannot possible imagine that 
either of those outcomes would have been qualitatively better. In that 
sense Microsoft was the best of the bad options GitHub.

As to any other concerns/opinions, all I will say is ... think laterally.

-- 
Adam Wilson
IRC: LightBender
import quiet.dlang.dev;