Github’s CEO Steps Aside, Product Chief to Take Over

Effective November 15th, Github will have a new CEO, Thomas Dohmke, who will step up from his current post as Chief Product Officer. He takes over from Nat Friedman, who will in turn become the company’s Chairman Emeritus.

In an announcement, Friedman said he has decided now is the time for him to go back to his startup roots and that he will support, advise, and invest in the founders and developers “who are creating the future with technology and tackling some of the biggest opportunities of our day.”

Friedman broadcasted an appeal to entrepreneurs on Twitter, “If you’re building something new, or even just dreaming about it, get in touch!”

Under Friedman’s guidance Github now has more than 73 million developers building software on the company’s code-sharing platform, which is now used by 84% of the Fortune 100.

Dohmke initially joined GitHub in 2018 after leading Microsoft's acquisition of the cloud-based Git repository as the tech giant’s Principal Director of PM. The acquisition also marked the start of Friedman’s tenure as CEO.

Dohmke joined Microsoft in 2015 after his own developer-centric app, HockeyApp, was also acquired by the company. Before that, he had held roles at Bosch and DaimlerChrysler and had co-founded a couple other startups including an insurance software venture and a mobile app development company.

On LinkedIn, Dohmke stated, “Leading the home for all developers is a dream fulfilled and I can’t wait to work even more closely with Hubbers and our customers. Thank you Nat Friedman for your commitment to GitHub over the past three years and everything you have done for our community. I can’t wait for the journey ahead. We’re just getting started.”