Microsoft a Acquires GitHub, Fellow Developers

Level 1: Dad at the Skate Park

Imagine a grown-up dad trying to hang out with a bunch of teenagers at a skate park. He puts on a backwards cap, throws on a hoodie with a cool band name, and grabs a skateboard. Then he walks up to the kids and says something like, “Yo, what’s up, my dudes?” in their slang. The kids would probably giggle because it’s clear he’s not actually one of them – he’s just dressed up like them. That’s exactly the funny feeling this picture gives. Microsoft is like that dad trying to act cool and fit in with the developer kids. The skateboard with “GitHub” on it is like the accessory to seem hip, and the dad is hoping the kids will accept him. We laugh because we can tell it’s a bit forced and awkward. It’s not mean-spirited – it’s just a silly image of someone trying too hard to blend in. Even if the dad (or Microsoft) means well and just wants to join the fun, the way he’s doing it is clumsy and that’s why it’s amusing.

Level 2: Microsoft’s Developer Disguise

This meme shows Microsoft trying to look like one of the cool developers. In the image, an older man (actor Steve Buscemi in a famous comedy scene) is dressed up like a teenager skater. He’s wearing a red baseball cap with the Windows Microsoft logo and carrying a skateboard labeled "GitHub." On his shirt, the word "Developers" is printed in an old-fashioned font. The joke here is that Microsoft—one of the biggest, traditional tech companies—is literally disguising itself with GitHub gear to blend in with the coder crowd. It’s a play on the line he says in the scene: “How do you do, fellow kids?”, implying “Am I cool yet?”

To understand why this is funny, you need to know a bit of recent tech history. GitHub is a hugely popular website where software developers store and share their code. It’s built around Git, which is a version control system (a tool that tracks changes to code over time, letting multiple people collaborate). Open source projects live on GitHub – meaning the code is publicly available for anyone to view, use, and contribute to. Developers love open source culture because it’s community-driven, transparent, and often very innovative. GitHub became like a social hub for programmers, a place run by developers for developers.

Now enter Microsoft: a giant corporation historically known for products like Windows, Office, and a very corporate image. In 2018, Microsoft surprised everyone by purchasing GitHub. This was big news! Imagine a very formal company suddenly becoming the owner of the hangout where all the cool programmers spend their time. Microsoft in the past wasn’t exactly chummy with the open-source community – there used to be a lot of rivalry and distrust. (Older developers remember when Microsoft was very protective of its own software and even criticized open-source ideas.) So, when Microsoft bought GitHub, some developers were nervous. Would Microsoft change GitHub? Would it still feel like a neutral playground for coding, or would it become a Microsoft-branded thing? Basically, there were trust issues: the developer community wondered if this was just a business move or if Microsoft truly wanted to support open source.

The meme captures this situation with humor. It shows “Microsoft” (the guy in the Microsoft hat) going undercover as one of the open-source developers (hence the skateboard and casual clothes) trying to say, “Hey, I’m cool like you folks!” The phrase “How do you do, fellow kids?” comes from the image’s origin and is used online whenever someone older or out-of-touch tries a bit too hard to fit in with a younger or trendier group. Here, Microsoft is that awkward older figure trying to fit in with the young developer crowd.

Every element in the picture is symbolic:

• The GitHub skateboard – GitHub is something many coders love and use daily. By holding a GitHub skateboard, Microsoft is basically carrying the biggest symbol of the developer community. It’s like saying, “Look, I have GitHub, I’m one of you now.” Skateboard culture is often associated with youth and rebellion, which makes it funny when a big company tries to wield it.
• The “Developers” T-shirt – This might be a nod to a famous moment where Microsoft’s former CEO Steve Ballmer enthusiastically chanted “Developers! Developers! Developers!” on stage to show love for programmers. In the meme, the word is printed in an exaggerated gothic style, making it look a bit silly – as if Microsoft is overdoing it in trying to seem cool.
• The Microsoft logo hat – This makes it clear the person is Microsoft in this scenario. The hat literally has the Windows logo and the word Microsoft, so we know this “fellow kid” is actually Microsoft in costume.

So, the overall joke is about corporate culture vs. developer culture. Microsoft represents the corporate world: big, established, sometimes seen as uncool or out of touch. GitHub and open source represent the developer community: younger, innovative, casual. By wearing GitHub merch and slangily saying “fellow kids,” Microsoft is attempting to act like it’s just another member of the developer community. It’s funny because the disguise is obvious – developers can tell it’s still the big corporation underneath. It highlights how companies sometimes try to adapt to trends or communities (in this case, embracing open source) in ways that can come off as awkward or insincere initially.

In reality, since acquiring GitHub, Microsoft has actually continued to let it run mostly independently and even improved some features (for example, they made private repositories free for everyone). Over time many developers have cautiously accepted that Microsoft can be part of the open-source ecosystem. But this meme playfully immortalizes that initial moment of surprise and skepticism, using a pop culture meme format (“How do you do, fellow kids?”) that perfectly sums up the vibe of “trying a bit too hard to fit in.” It’s a lighthearted way to remind us of the odd sight of a corporate giant posing as one of the cool open-source kids.

Level 3: The Enterprise in a Hoodie

At first glance, this meme is industry satire highlighting a classic culture clash: a massive enterprise company trying to masquerade as a hip open-source pal. The image riffs on a well-known scene where an older character in a hoodie and backwards cap says, "How do you do, fellow kids?" In our meme, that character wears a red cap emblazoned with the Windows Microsoft logo, a GitHub skateboard over his shoulder, and a t-shirt labeled "Developers." It’s a tongue-in-cheek reference to Microsoft’s 2018 acquisition of GitHub and the tech community’s reaction. Seasoned developers immediately recognize this as a corporate hipness attempt – essentially, Microsoft putting on a "GitHub hat" (literally in the meme) to blend in with the cool open-source kids.

For context, Microsoft spent decades as the poster child of closed-source, proprietary software. Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, they were often dubbed the "Evil Empire" by open-source advocates. Microsoft’s old strategy was jokingly summarized as “Embrace, Extend, Extinguish” – meaning they’d adopt a new standard or technology, tweak it to their own ends, and eventually push competitors out (thereby extinguishing the original). They were not exactly the darling of the open-source community. In fact, former CEO Steve Ballmer once called Linux (the epitome of open-source operating systems) “a cancer.” 🤦‍♂️ So when Microsoft announced plans to acquire GitHub – the largest hub of Open Source projects and collaborative coding – many developers were shocked and skeptical. It felt like Darth Vader asking to join the Rebel Alliance. Were they going to embrace and extend open-source again… or genuinely support it this time?

The humor here comes from that collective memory. We see Microsoft awkwardly trying to gain street cred with developers by dressing like one of them. The skateboard labeled "GitHub" is a prop, symbolizing Microsoft’s newly acquired toy for appealing to coders. The shirt says "Developers" (in a gothic font no less) which likely nods to Ballmer’s infamous “Developers! Developers! Developers!” chant – a meme in its own right. It’s as if Microsoft is saying, “Look, I love developers, see? I even have the T-shirt!” But to many in the community, it initially felt as incongruous as a CEO doing a kickflip at a punk rock show. Developers who remember the old Microsoft found this image hilarious because it captured their wariness: the giant enterprise vendor suddenly claiming to be a fellow open-source enthusiast might be just a facade.

This satirical scene also pokes fun at corporate culture trying to absorb developer culture through acquisitions. Microsoft is essentially blending in by owning GitHub – a bit like a rich executive buying a popular hangout spot to seem cool by association. The meme format (“fellow kids”) underscores how obvious and slightly cringe this attempt can look. No matter the backward cap and slang, the fellow kids still see an out-of-place grown-up. Likewise, many developers initially saw Microsoft-as-GitHub as an awkward fit. It’s a trust issue: the open-source community values transparency and independence, and suddenly their favorite platform is owned by a corporation historically viewed as hostile to that ethos.

However, to be fair, a lot has changed at Microsoft in recent years. Under CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s official stance flipped to “Microsoft ❤️ Linux” and they’ve open-sourced major projects like VS Code and .NET. They went from suing open-source projects to being one of the top contributors on GitHub (by number of employees pushing code). The meme exaggerates the disconnect for comedic effect, but it’s rooted in real industry trends. It reminds veteran devs of how dramatic this shift is – and why it felt almost cartoonish to see Microsoft acting like a cool open-source peer overnight. The skeptical undertone is “Are you really one of us now, or just wearing the costume?”

To visualize this transformation, consider a quick then-vs-now of Microsoft:

Old Microsoft (circa 2000)	New Microsoft (circa 2020)
CEO called Linux “a cancer” 🕷️	CEO proclaims “Microsoft ❤ Linux” 🐧
Guarded all source code, Windows-only	Open-sources VS Code, .NET Core on GitHub
Pushed proprietary tools (e.g. TFS)	Embraces Git and hosts projects on GitHub

In other words, the meme gets its punch by highlighting an almost surreal role-reversal in the tech world. A once anti-open-source behemoth is now painting itself as a pillar of the open-source community – and doing so in a somewhat clumsy, try-hard fashion. The famous “How do you do, fellow kids?” meme format perfectly captures that vibe of an outsider awkwardly trying to fit in. It resonates with senior engineers who remember the old Microsoft and find the new friendly Microsoft both encouraging and a bit humorous. After all, it’s not every day you see a suit-and-tie corporation in a hoodie and skateboard saying “Yo!” to the developer crowd. 😅