GitHub was built by four friends without taking a dollar of venture money — until a harassment scandal pushed out its highest-profile co-founder, and a $7.5B Microsoft deal ended its independence.
Her account described gender-based mistreatment that the culture tolerated.
The investigation cleared him of harassment/retaliation while noting judgment errors; he resigned rather than continue.
Co-founder who became CEO after Preston-Werner's 2014 resignation and led GitHub to the Microsoft acquisition.
Co-founder and the company's most public figure/CEO; resigned in 2014 after an internal investigation into harassment allegations.
Co-founder who worked with Wanstrath on the early product.
Git expert and co-founder; contributed early Git tooling and evangelism.
Engineer/designer whose March 2014 public allegations of a hostile, gender-based environment — involving Preston-Werner and his wife — triggered the investigation and his resignation.
Led Andreessen Horowitz's ~$100M investment — GitHub's first outside funding — and joined the board.
0 of 6 have put their version on the record.
Announced June 4, 2018; closed October 2018
Wanstrath, Preston-Werner, and Hyett launch GitHub (Chacon joins as a Git expert), building a social platform for code that grows rapidly among developers — without outside funding.
After four bootstrapped years, GitHub takes its first outside money — a ~$100M investment from Andreessen Horowitz, then one of the firm's largest.
Julie Ann Horvath publicly alleged a hostile, gender-based environment in March 2014. GitHub placed Preston-Werner on leave and hired an outside investigator. The investigation found no harassment or retaliation but did find 'errors of judgment.' Preston-Werner resigned in April 2014.
Her account described gender-based mistreatment that the culture tolerated.
The investigation cleared him of harassment/retaliation while noting judgment errors; he resigned rather than continue.
Unresolved: How to reconcile a 'no harassment' finding with a resignation and 'errors of judgment.'
That she experienced a hostile, gender-based work environment at GitHub involving Preston-Werner and his wife.
GitHub's outside investigation found no evidence of harassment or retaliation but identified 'errors of judgment.' Preston-Werner denied the harassment claims yet resigned.
Julie Ann Horvath publicly alleged a hostile, gender-based environment in March 2014. GitHub placed Preston-Werner on leave and hired an outside investigator. The investigation found no harassment or retaliation but did find 'errors of judgment.' Preston-Werner resigned in April 2014.
Her account described gender-based mistreatment that the culture tolerated.
The investigation cleared him of harassment/retaliation while noting judgment errors; he resigned rather than continue.
Unresolved: How to reconcile a 'no harassment' finding with a resignation and 'errors of judgment.'
Microsoft agrees to buy GitHub for $7.5 billion in stock (closing in October 2018), prompting anxiety among developers about the independence of the platform.
CEO 2014–2018; led the Microsoft sale; later an investor.
Resigned 2014; continued as investor/creator (e.g., RedwoodJS).
Co-founder; stepped back over time.
Left in the mid-2010s; later founded new developer tools.