Microsoft has reportedly agreed to acquire the software development platform Github.
According to a report by Bloomberg, the deal could be announced as soon as Monday.
It’s not yet clear how much Microsoft actually paid to buy the software depository startup.
Microsoft’s interest in GitHub was first reported by Business Insider on Friday.
One person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that GitHub opted to sell the company instead of going public and chose Microsoft because of a positive impression of Microsoft’s Chief Executive Satya Nadella.
GitHub is a platform used by software developers to store code and collaborate. GitHub says it has about 27 million users. It is the largest host of source code in the world.
In 2015, investors valued the San Francisco-based company at about $2 billion. Last year the company generated around $200 million in annual subscription revenue.
The acquisition would allow Microsoft to add programming tools and give an edge against rival Amazon Web Services. As reported by Business Insider, the deal would provide Microsoft with a direct line to “millions of highly-engaged developers”.
The deal also gives Microsoft the opportunity to integrate its Azure cloud computing service with GitHub, allowing developers to run their GitHub project in the cloud. This could significantly help drive usage of Microsoft’s Azure service.
In a cloud computing system, files and other data are stored remotely in computers far away rather than in the owner’s own hard drive.
