Microsoft has announced this year that it intends to buy the GitHub service as well as the repository for $7.5 billion. The company promised to let GitHub grow regardless of Redmond’s intentions. Obviously, this possible acquisition has triggered many controversies, including at the government level.
The network was in an uproar when the world spread the news that Microsoft was trying to buy GitHub. Many software developers decided to leave the service and shift their projects to alternative platforms. All because Microsoft could somehow influence what happens in GitHub.
Now the European Commission has officially approved that Microsoft can take over GitHub. The reason is that there are no signs that the giant of Redmond would undermine the openness of GitHub. Microsoft also confirmed that at most it would carve GitHub’s strategy and not interfere in GitHub’s affairs.
The European Commission stated that this would not jeopardize the competitiveness of the market position and that Microsoft would not be a monopolist. On the basis of the market investigation, Microsoft does not have the market power to undermine GitHub’s openness or to choke its competitors in any way. The GitHub buyout is Microsoft’s second major investment immediately after the purchase of LinkedIn for $26 billion.