Nat Friedman

Overview

Nat Friedman is a technology executive known for leading developer-focused software companies. He was chief executive of Xamarin, and when Microsoft acquired Xamarin in 2016, he became part of Microsoft ^[1]. He is best known publicly for taking over as CEO of GitHub after Microsoft completed its acquisition of the code-hosting platform ^[1], and later for joining Meta to help lead its superintelligence work ^[2].

Xamarin and Microsoft

Friedman led Xamarin as its chief executive. Microsoft acquired Xamarin in 2016, a detail Microsoft itself noted when it announced Friedman's move to GitHub ^[1]. Xamarin's business was built around tools for developers, the same audience GitHub serves, which made Friedman's background a natural fit when Microsoft needed someone to run the platform it had just bought.

Taking over GitHub

When Microsoft completed its acquisition of GitHub, the company said on 26 October 2018 that Friedman "is taking over as GitHub's CEO" ^[1]. Microsoft framed the transition around continuity for the developer community: Friedman would report to Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of the Microsoft Cloud + AI group, and GitHub would keep its developer-first ethos, operate independently and remain an open platform ^[1]. Those commitments mattered because GitHub is used by developers across competing companies and projects, and the announcement was meant to reassure them that the site would not simply become another Microsoft product.

Joining Meta

Friedman's next major role came in 2025. A Meta memo published by CNBC on 30 June 2025 said Friedman had joined the company to partner with Alex Wang in leading Meta Superintelligence Labs, heading its work on AI products and applied research ^[2]. The memo described his background by saying he "ran GitHub at Microsoft" and noted that he had served on Meta's Advisory Group "for the last year" ^[2]. CNBC reported that Meta hired Friedman together with his business partner Daniel Gross, who had been chief executive of Safe Superintelligence ^[2].

Why he matters

The through-line in Friedman's career is developer tools and the people who use them. He ran a company selling tools to developers, then led the largest code-hosting platform, and then moved into a lab focused on advanced AI. Each step put him at a place where the tools available to developers were being shaped, which is why his moves have drawn attention in the technology press.