[Python-Dev] Microsoft to acquire GitHub for $7.5 billion (original) (raw)

Steven D'Aprano steve at pearwood.info
Mon Jun 4 19:38:31 EDT 2018

On Mon, Jun 04, 2018 at 07:25:49PM +0200, Matěj Cepl wrote:

On 2018-06-04, 16:06 GMT, Guido van Rossum wrote: > I don't see how this increases the uncertainty. Surely if > GitHub had remained independent there would have been be > similar concerns about how it would make enough money to stay > in business.

Beacuse Microsoft is known to keep a money loosing venture around forever?

No, but Guido is right: neither is anyone else.

In that regard, Microsoft is probably more likely to keep pumping money into a failing business if it gives them a strategic advantage, compared to other investors with no long-term strategy other than "get aquired by Google/Microsoft/Oracle/Apple".

But on the other hand, Microsoft (or at least the bad old Microsoft of Bill Gates' days) has a long history of "Embrace, Extend, Extinguish" as policy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend,_and_extinguish

(Not that Microsoft is the only big tech company that does/did this.)

Anyway, this is just all speculation at this point. In the short term, nothing changes, and it is too early to tell how it changes the long term.

-- Steve

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