Microsoft announced on Monday that it would buy software development platform GitHub for $7.5 billion in stock, minting new billionaires in the process. Based on Forbes estimates, GitHub cofounder and CEO Chris Wanstrath will receive as much as $1.5 billion in Microsoft stock. Wanstrath’s cofounders Tom Preston-Werner and PJ Hyett will walk away with an estimated $1.25 billion and close to $1 billion, respectively. “More than 28 million developers already collaborate on GitHub,” Microsoft said in a statement confirming the buyout. Last year, Wanstrath told Forbes that he planned to step down as CEO as soon as he could find a replacement.

Source: Forbes June 04, 2018 17:31 UTC