Microsoft + GitHub = Peculiar Union?

Microsoft’s GitHub acquisition at first might seem like an uncanny unification. But is it as peculiar as it seems? What value could GitHub, one of world’s most favored Open Source Ecosystem provide to Microsoft, world’s largest proprietary software maker? 

One clear advantage behind this acquisition could be access to legions of developers using GitHub’s code repository products on a regular basis; allowing Microsoft’s team to guide these developers into their own developer environment, creating an immense capital and technology resource gain for Microsoft. Microsoft might also be looking into incorporating its set of developer and business tools into GitHub, benefitting Microsoft’s Windows 10 platform, which itself is built on open-source Progressive Web App technology. Microsoft’s support for numerous open-source projects as an adherent to the Linux Foundation can’t be ignored either.

Moreover, With CodePlex's termination, Microsoft’s own platform for open-source software development, in December ’17; this acquisition might have been an imminent affair for Microsoft.

Although, due to a lot of ambiguity within Microsoft’s policies on the control over GitHub; there is a leading build-up of tension among the developers, which again is not surprising, given Microsoft’s history. A Pre-acquisition twitter poll from Bryan Lunduke suggests a move of about 68% of existing GitHub users to another service if the acquisition went ahead, and only a mere 25% of Twitter users asked by Tom Warren of the Verge took the news of acquisition positively.

It would be interesting to see how Microsoft would leverage GitHub in its extensive business methodology. However, it is a dawn period to envisage anything, but so far, the situation looks conducive to me. Microsoft stepping into this sphere of computer technology world can be a paradigm shift in developers’ perception towards the technology giant. Let’s see how the story of this union unfolds.