Thomas Dohmke, the CEO of Microsoft-owned GitHub, announced on Monday that he will be stepping down from his leadership role at the popular code-hosting platform to pursue a new startup venture, marking the end of a transformative chapter in his career.
Dohmke, who relocated from Germany to the U.S. over a decade ago following the sale of his own startup to Microsoft, said his deep-rooted passion for entrepreneurship inspired his decision. “I’ve decided to leave GitHub to become a founder again,” he shared in a detailed blog post, though he did not disclose specifics about his upcoming project.
Before ascending to the CEO role, Dohmke played a pivotal role at Microsoft in shaping mobile developer tools and was integral in orchestrating GitHub’s $7.5 billion acquisition by Microsoft in 2018 alongside then-CEO Nat Friedman. Under Dohmke’s leadership, GitHub has expanded its global reach, doubled AI-driven projects, and secured key certifications such as the U.S. government’s FedRAMP, enabling federal use of the platform.
GitHub currently supports over 150 million developers worldwide, offering tools that help them build, maintain, and collaborate on software projects at scale. Dohmke proudly highlighted GitHub’s advancements, including AI innovations like Copilot, which transformed from a simple autocomplete feature into a multi-model AI assistant used by over 20 million developers.
The executive transition will be gradual, with Dohmke remaining through the end of 2025 to ensure a smooth handover. Microsoft has yet to announce a direct successor. According to Axios, Julia Liuson, head of Microsoft’s developer division, will oversee GitHub’s revenue, engineering, and support teams moving forward, while GitHub’s Chief Product Officer Mario Rodriguez will report to Microsoft’s AI platform head, Asha Sharma.
Dohmke’s departure comes amid growing competition in the developer AI tools space from companies like Google and Cursor. Yet, he remains optimistic about GitHub’s strong market position, emphasizing the platform’s unmatched presence in companies of all sizes and its vibrant open-source ecosystem.
In his farewell message to GitHub employees, Dohmke reflected on his journey: “Over a decade ago, my family and I made the leap from Germany to the U.S. following the sale of my startup to Microsoft. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside incredible colleagues, customers, and developers worldwide. Leading GitHub through the era of Copilot and AI has been the ride of a lifetime.”
He also underscored GitHub’s mission to empower developers globally, envisioning a future where billions of AI-powered coding agents help unlock human creativity and innovation. “I am more convinced than ever that the world will soon see one billion developers enabled by billions of AI agents, each imprinting human ingenuity into a new gold rush of software.”
Ending on a personal note, Dohmke expressed gratitude to his team and community: “Thank you, Hubbers. Being your colleague and leader has been a great honor. Together, we’ve bent the arc of technology for the better. So long, and thanks for all the fish.”
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