GitHub Inc., the web-based repository hosting service designed for developers to store, share, and collaborate on their work, has grown rapidly—and that comes with bottom-line costs. Most recently, as Bloomberg reports, GitHub took a $66 million hit in the first nine months of 2016.
While GitHub has always focused on catering to coders, it also sells more advanced programming tools to companies, both large and small, and striking the right balance between these two aspects of the business may well be the key to the company’s success. As competitors emerge, GitHub’s relationships and approach are crucial to making the company stand out.
“I want us to be judged on, ‘Are we making developers more productive?’” GitHub CEO Chris Wanstrath tells Bloomberg. And with new features, new leadership, and an influx of fresh capital, Wanstrath is confident GitHub can remain a leader in the software category it essentially originated. “We’ve had a lot of ups and downs, and right now we’re definitely in an up.”
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is GitHub?
GitHub is a web-based repository hosting service designed for developers to store, share and collaborate on their work. It also sells more advanced programming tools to companies of all sizes.
How much money did GitHub lose in 2016?
According to Bloomberg, GitHub took a $66 million hit in the first nine months of 2016, a cost of its rapid growth.
What balance does GitHub need to strike?
GitHub has always focused on serving coders, but it also sells tools to companies large and small. Striking the right balance between those two parts of the business may be key to its success as competitors emerge.
How did GitHub's CEO want the company to be judged?
CEO Chris Wanstrath told Bloomberg that the company should be judged on one question: whether it is making developers more productive.
Was GitHub confident about its future in 2017?
Yes. With new features, new leadership and fresh capital, Wanstrath was confident GitHub could remain a leader in the software category it essentially originated, saying the company was definitely in an up period.