Microsoft Is Reportedly Considering Buying Coding Institution GitHub

Coders everywhere are likely already familiar with the site GitHub, which is basically where programming enthusiasts and professionals go to share scripts and the like. The company is in a bit of a crisis right now with its need for a new CEO. Microsoft is reportedly thinking about taking this chance to acquire the startup, which was valued at $2 billion in 2015.

According to a recent report by Business Insider, the two companies have been in talks over the past few weeks, with the central topic being the matter of an acquisition. Microsoft would buy GitHub and make it a part of its umbrella instead of the startup going its own way. This was according to people who are familiar with the matter.

If these talks are heading in the direction suggested, it would be a direct contradiction to the stance that GitHub maintained in the past. The coding platform was planning on pursuing its own initial public offering (IPO) and was committed to remaining independent of any major tech firm.

Unfortunately, with the imminent retirement of its current CEO, Chris Wanstrath, GitHub has failed to find a suitable replacement. Faced with the prospect of losing its leader and becoming directionless, choosing to go under the wing of a major software giant in Microsoft might be the company’s best hope for survival.

Neither company has chosen to comment on this particular issue as of this writing.

On that note, acquiring Github would be a sensible route for Microsoft because of the huge boost it would give to its developer resources, Engadget reports. It could have a tremendous impact on the adoption of its products, from the Windows operating system itself to its Azure cloud platform.

Even its artificial intelligence section might benefit from the deal, which might finally help Cortana gain an edge over both Alexa and Google Assistant. Of course, this would depend on how smoothly GitHub will operate under Microsoft's management.