GitHub Copilot crosses 20 million all-time users

GitHub Copilot, an AI coding instrument supplied by Microsoft-owned GitHub, has now reached greater than 20 million customers, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella mentioned on the corporate’s earnings call Wednesday. A GitHub spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that this quantity represents “all-time customers.”

Which means 5 million individuals have tried out GitHub Copilot for the primary time within the final three months; the corporate reported in April the tool had reached 15 million users. Microsoft and GitHub don’t report what number of of those 20 million individuals have continued to make use of the AI coding instrument on a month-to-month or day by day foundation — although these metrics are possible far decrease.

Microsoft additionally reported GitHub Copilot, which is among the many hottest AI coding instruments supplied at the moment, is utilized by 90% of the Fortune 100. The product’s progress amongst enterprise clients has additionally grown about 75% in comparison with final quarter, in keeping with the corporate.

AI coding instruments are rising in recognition, they usually appear to be one of many few AI merchandise producing notable income. In 2024, Nadella mentioned GitHub Copilot was a larger business than all of GitHub was when Microsoft acquired it in 2018. Within the 12 months since, it appears GitHub Copilot’s progress fee has continued in a optimistic path.

The world’s hottest AI coding instruments nonetheless have tiny consumer bases in comparison with AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini, which magnetize tons of of tens of millions of customers each month. In fact, software program engineering is extra area of interest than the final informational queries supplied by AI chatbots.

That mentioned, software program engineers and their employers appear to be prepared to pay a premium for AI coding instruments. And with Microsoft’s lengthy record of enterprise clients and GitHub’s ecosystem of builders, GitHub Copilot is properly positioned to dominate the marketplace for enterprise AI coding instruments.

Cursor, one other common AI coding instrument, desires to problem GitHub Copilot within the enterprise, and it’s been scooping up talent from fledgling AI startups to take action. Cursor reportedly had more than a million people utilizing its product day-after-day in March, in keeping with Bloomberg. At the moment, the corporate generated about $200 million in annualized recurring income. In the present day, Cursor’s ARR is more than $500 million, suggesting there at the moment are much more individuals utilizing its merchandise on a regular basis.

Whereas GitHub Copilot and Cursor initially sought to sort out completely different elements of the developer expertise, they’re steadily converging into related merchandise.

Each corporations have just lately launched AI agents to review code and catch bugs launched by people. Github and Cursor are additionally each attempting to create AI agents that automate programmer workflows, permitting builders to dump duties altogether. Nadella mentioned throughout Wednesday’s earnings name that GitHub was seeing nice momentum with their AI coding brokers.

Past Cursor, GitHub has an array of well-capitalized rivals that want to promote AI coding instruments to the enterprise.

There’s Google — which acquired the leaders of AI coding startup Windsurf — in addition to Cognition, the maker of Devin that subsequently acquired the rest of Windsurf’s team. That’s to not point out OpenAI and Anthropic, that are each constructing out their very own AI coding choices powered by in-house AI fashions, Codex and Claude Code respectively, in an try to win the market.

The nascent house is rapidly heating up into one among AI’s best markets.