GitHub is having some major issues right now…

Overview

This episode dives into the recent turmoil surrounding GitHub, the world's most prominent platform for software development. It explores GitHub's history, its recent reliability issues, the departure of high-profile developers like Mitchell Hashimoto, and the rise of alternative platforms.

Notable Quotes

- I want to ship software, and it doesn't want me to ship software. – Mitchell Hashimoto, on why he's leaving GitHub.

- GitHub isn't just a host for developers anymore. It's a host for their replacement. – Host, on the impact of AI-driven workflows on GitHub's infrastructure.

🚀 The Rise of GitHub

- GitHub was launched in 2008 as a user-friendly web interface for Git, a version control system created by Linus Torvalds.

- By 2018, Microsoft acquired GitHub for $7.5 billion, and it became the de facto public record for software development.

- Developers use GitHub for code storage, bug tracking, pull requests, CI/CD pipelines, and as a professional social network.

⚠️ GitHub's Uptime Crisis

- GitHub's uptime has plummeted, with third-party monitoring showing 2025 uptime below 90% and April 2026 at a shocking 86%.

- Official GitHub status pages report much higher uptime, but developers are skeptical.

- Recent incidents include:

- April 23: 292 pull requests across 658 repositories were unmerged.

- April 27: A botnet attack crippled GitHub's search functionality.

- April 28: A critical vulnerability allowed remote code execution via git push.

💔 Mitchell Hashimoto's Departure

- Mitchell Hashimoto, creator of Vagrant and Terraform, announced his departure from GitHub after 18 years of daily use.

- His open-source project, Ghosty, with 50,000 stars, is migrating to another platform.

- Hashimoto documented daily outages in a journal, stating they blocked his work almost every day.

🤖 The AI Strain on GitHub

- GitHub's infrastructure is under pressure from AI-driven workflows, which have surged since 2025.

- AI agents are heavily utilizing GitHub, transforming it from a developer platform to a host for automated systems.

- Despite these challenges, GitHub introduced features like Actions and Codespaces, which initially improved the platform post-Microsoft acquisition.

🌐 Alternatives to GitHub

- Developers are exploring alternatives like:

- GitLab: Reliable but less innovative.

- Codeberg: A German nonprofit focused on open-source principles.

- SourceHut: Minimalist and AI-free.

- The shift highlights the growing dissatisfaction with GitHub's reliability and the search for platforms better suited to developers' needs.