GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke Live Keynote from GitHub Constellation24 India

Introduction and Open Healthcare Network (0s)

• Open Healthcare Network (OHN) is a team of enthusiastic developers and contributors committed to building open technology in the healthcare domain.
• The ratio of doctors and nurses in India is insufficient compared to the population.
• OHN's flagship product, o buil care, is an open-source platform that connects hospitals to nearby care centers, providing doctors with a comprehensive view of a patient's condition and enabling referrals.
• OHN's early success was driven by active participation from healthcare professionals who provided valuable insights and feedback.
• The platform has over 400 contributors from around the world, who are motivated by the opportunity to solve real-world problems faced by doctors.
• The use of GitHub Copilot has significantly improved the quality of code, acting as a personal assistant that helps developers write code more efficiently.
• Embracing open source from the beginning has enhanced trust and transparency, with small contributions having a significant impact on millions of people.
• OHN's healthcare transformation has created a positive impact on every citizen of India.
• Thomas Dohmke, the CEO of GitHub, is welcomed to the stage.

Thomas Dohmke's Keynote Speech (3m2s)

• GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke highlights the significance of India's open-source community in shaping the future and its potential to become the world's largest software developer community by 2027.
• The convergence of India's developer community and the rise of AI, exemplified by GitHub Copilot, is transforming software development, enabling faster and more efficient coding.
• GitHub Copilot Workspace simplifies software development by allowing users to work in natural language and seamlessly transition from issue to pull request, fostering collaboration and sharing within the open-source community.
• GitHub Copilot, an AI-powered coding assistant, offers features like Copilot Chat, which provides detailed instructions and code suggestions in response to natural language queries, and voice command recognition, as demonstrated by Karan using Hindi voice commands.
• GitHub Copilot Workspace enhances creativity and productivity by enabling developers to directly convert tasks into code, while Copilot Workspace provides a complete cloud development environment with live terminal and application preview.
• Thomas Dohmke showcased the successful use of Copilot in generating code based on natural language descriptions, expressing confidence that India will have both the largest developer community and the most vibrant open-source ecosystem globally.

Start of Fireside Chat with Thomas Dohmke and Karan Bajaj (17m56s)

• Karan Bajaj thanks Thomas Dohmke for his insightful talk on the Indian developer ecosystem.
• Attendees can submit questions for Thomas by scanning the QR code on their badges.

How Thomas started his developer journey (18m36s)

• Thomas Dohmke is known as "ashtor" on the internet, which is an anagram of his name.
• He grew up in East Berlin in the late '70s and '80s and learned to code on a Commodore 64 after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
• He had to rely on books, magazines, and computer clubs to learn coding, as there was no internet, forums, or GitHub at the time.
• This experience made him the "nerd" he is today.
• He worked various jobs building software before joining Microsoft in late 2014.
• In 2018, Microsoft acquired GitHub, and Thomas joined the company, becoming the CEO about three years ago.

Thomas on Open source collaboration (20m41s)

• Open-source collaboration is not limited to code but also includes project management, documentation, and other aspects.
• The open-source collaboration model is better than anything else in the world, with millions of developers collaborating across boundaries.
• In open-source collaboration, the identity of the contributor doesn't matter, what matters is the code and the natural language description provided.

Thomas on how does the GitHub Copilot impact the student journey (22m40s)

• GitHub Copilot will democratize access to coding by making it easier for people of all ages and backgrounds to learn and start coding.
• Copilot can help students learn to code by providing real-time assistance, explanations, and code transformations.
• Copilot can help students learn to code in different programming languages, such as Python and Java.
• Copilot can help students learn to code by providing infinite patience and answering questions.

Thomas on envisioning the role of AI in software development over next 5 years (25m50s)

• AI will evolve into agents that can assist developers by performing tasks such as proposing fixes for security vulnerabilities.
• These agents will augment developers' capabilities rather than replace them.
• Developers will continue to move up the stack, relying on more complex systems and libraries.
• The complexity of modern software development requires tools like AI agents to help developers navigate and manage code effectively.
• Q: How do you envision the role of AI evolving in software development over the next 5 years?
  • AI will evolve into agents that can assist developers by performing tasks such as proposing fixes for security vulnerabilities.
• Q: What new features or tools can we expect from GitHub to support this evolution?
  • GitHub will introduce more AI-powered agents that support developers throughout their journey.
• Q: How will AI impact the job of software developers?
  • AI will augment developers' capabilities rather than replace them.
• Q: How has the software development landscape changed over time?
  • Developers have moved up the stack from low-level languages and manual coding to relying on high-level languages and extensive libraries.
• Q: What are the challenges of managing complex code in modern software development?
  • The complexity of modern software development requires tools like AI agents to help developers navigate and manage code effectively.

How can Copilot help with code security? (28m43s)

• Copilot can help with code security by explaining security vulnerabilities to developers.
• Copilot can also help developers fix security vulnerabilities by providing suggestions on how to refactor code or use open-source libraries.
• Copilot can help shift security left by finding issues in the editor before they reach production.

Thomas on overcoming challenges (30m34s)

• Overcoming frustration:
  • Best to sleep on a problem and come back to it with a fresh mind.
  • Finding the root cause of an issue can be like finding a needle in a haystack.
• Continuous learning:
  • Learning never stops, even after school and university.
  • The best craftspeople constantly learn and practice their craft.
  • AI cannot replace developers' craftsmanship because it lacks sentience and the ability to evolve through practice.

Building a Healthy Open Source Community (33m22s)

• To build a healthy open-source community, one must be passionate and dedicated to the project.
• A well-written and informative README file is essential to attract contributors.
• Contributor agreements or guidelines should be established to set expectations for collaboration.
• Active engagement and promotion of the project through social media and other platforms is important.
• Sustainability of open-source projects can be achieved through various means such as GitHub Sponsors, accelerator programs, and funding opportunities.
• Building a startup around a successful open-source project is a viable option for many developers, as it allows them to monetize their work and gain initial customers from the community.

Thomas's Experience in India (36m5s)

• Thomas Dohmke, the CEO of GitHub, shares his experiences in India.
• He mentions the significant changes in Bangalore since his last visit 16 years ago, including the development of a modern city with a metro system.
• Dohmke is fascinated by the constant energy and sense of progress in India, which he compares to the ever-evolving nature of software and AI.

What does a day in life of GitHub CEO looks like? (38m19s)

• Dohmke describes his daily routine as the CEO of GitHub.
• His day involves numerous meetings, which are currently in person but will shift to virtual calls after his return.
• GitHub operates as a remote-first company, with most employees working from home and occasionally gathering at hubs for brainstorming and social events.
• Dohmke emphasizes the importance of managing employee creativity, discussing future plans, and identifying challenges.
• He highlights the unique aspect of GitHub building its own tools and processes on GitHub, including HR policies and legal texts.
• Dohmke expresses his enjoyment in meeting and interacting with developers, as it aligns with GitHub's mission to accelerate human progress through collaboration.

How can non-programmers leverage GitHub & AI like Copilot? (40m26s)

• Non-programmers can collaborate on projects through non-code primitives like GitHub issues and wikis.
• Contributing to a project by reporting bugs or improving documentation makes a noticeable difference in open-source projects.
• Copilot unlocks new possibilities for non-programmers, such as photographers and product managers, to create web pages or build simple applications without prior coding experience.
• Copilot provides assistance by generating code or recommending resources, making it easier for beginners to learn and experiment with coding.
• While Copilot simplifies the process, understanding code is still essential for building complex systems, as code is deterministic while human language is non-deterministic.

How active is Thomas as a developer? (42m40s)

• Thomas Dohmke still considers himself a developer but has limited time for coding due to his responsibilities as CEO.
• He finds time on weekends to code with his kids and has his own open-source projects.
• Thomas has a personal project to track flight numbers and details of the planes he has been on.
• He also has a project that exports his workout data from his iPhone to a GitHub repository.

Can Copilot be fine-tuned to be more personalized? (44m34s)

• Copilot already uses local context in the editor, including adjacent tabs and open source libraries, to provide personalized suggestions.
• The "at workspace" feature in GitHub Copilot allows users to ask questions about their entire Git repository and file system.
• GitHub is working on a feature to fine-tune the Copilot model based on specific codebases, which will be available in public preview later in the summer.

What is Thomas' message to developers in India? (46m46s)

• Thomas is inspired by India being on track to become the largest developer community on GitHub by 2027.
• He believes that India has the potential to become a leader in AI due to its large number of skilled software developers and the convergence of new technologies.
• He encourages developers to embrace the opportunities presented by these advancements and contribute to India's growth in the tech industry.

Closing Remarks (48m15s)

• The host, Karan, expresses gratitude to Thomas for sharing his insights and experiences.
• Karan mentions the absence of a "co-pilot" to summarize the discussion, suggesting it as a potential feature request.
• Karan concludes the session by inviting Thomas for a selfie with the audience.