Microsoft owns the GitHub developer platform and was founded in 1975 by Paul Allen and Bill Gates.
Microsoft acquired GitHub in 2018 in a deal valued at $7.5 billion in Microsoft stock. GitHub hosts source code and provides collaboration tools used by software developers, companies, and open-source projects around the world.
The acquisition extended Microsoft’s role in software beyond Windows and Office. GitHub operates as a distinct platform, while Microsoft also offers developer services through Azure, Visual Studio, and other products. The company’s broad enterprise and cloud presence has helped make it one of the world’s most valuable public businesses.
Microsoft’s founding story began with software for the Altair 8800, not with GitHub or cloud computing. Those later businesses illustrate how the company repeatedly expanded into new technology markets while retaining its original software focus.