This message from Sid Sijbrandij and Bill Staples was shared with GitLab team members earlier today.
Sid: On today’s earnings call, I announced that I am stepping down as CEO and will remain Executive Chair of the Board. I also introduced GitLab’s new CEO, Bill Staples.
As a Board, we routinely do succession planning. This includes conversations with a number of top executives. We’ve been having these conversations in greater earnest since my cancer returned. Through these discussions, we identified someone uniquely qualified to lead GitLab. I want more time to focus on my cancer treatment and health. My treatments are going well, my cancer is not metastatic, and I'm working towards making a full recovery. Stepping down from a role that I love is not easy, but I believe that it is the right decision for GitLab.
I couldn't be more excited to introduce you to Bill Staples, who will be leading GitLab into its next chapter. Bill will be GitLab’s CEO, effective today. He will also join the GitLab Board as a Director. Bill was most recently a public company CEO at New Relic. During his time there, he significantly increased the value of the company by accelerating revenue and driving increased profitability. He also brings decades of experience in leadership roles at Adobe and Microsoft. When I began speaking with Bill, I was immediately drawn to his customer-centric approach and deep product expertise. As I got to know him further, I knew that his shared value system made him the right person for this role, for our team members, for our customers, and for our shareholders. I feel fortunate that GitLab has found someone with a great leadership track record and strong DevOps expertise to lead GitLab into the future.
We have come so far from the early days when we launched GitLab.com. We have created the DevOps category and are the leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for both vision and execution. Millions of people now use GitLab to deliver software faster and more efficiently. We have integrated AI, Security, and Compliance into our platform to offer our enterprise customers the strongest AI-powered DevSecOps solution. We have also built GitLab in collaboration with our contributors. Last quarter, we had an all-time high of an estimated 1,800 code contributions from the wider community. It is incredible that as GitLab grew, our contributor community grew with us. We have done all of this while being a values-driven company, leading in all-remote work, championing transparency through our public handbook and culture, and co-creating with the wider community.
I feel many things today, but more than anything else, I am grateful. I want to thank our customers. Driving results for them has been at the core of GitLab’s values, and I greatly appreciate their trust in us. I want to thank the wider GitLab community for their trust and enthusiasm. Their tens of thousands of contributions have greatly enhanced GitLab and its value for all users. Thank you, GitLab team members. Your contributions are at the core of GitLab’s success and the value we drive for our customers. Thank you, E-Group. You are amazing partners and collaborators in leading GitLab and our team members to achieve our very best. Thank you, GitLab Board. I have appreciated your support throughout my time as CEO and look forward to our ongoing partnership as I continue to serve as Executive Chair. And, thank you, Bill. I am excited for you to lead our next phase of growth. I am here to support you and the company in GitLab’s next chapter!
I couldn't be more thrilled about Bill and what's ahead for GitLab with him at the helm. We have an incredible opportunity in front of us. Software has never mattered more, and GitLab is well-positioned to be the platform that best enables folks to create, secure, and operate it. I look forward to staying part of the company and being actively involved wherever Bill can use me.
Bill: Thanks, Sid, for the warm welcome! I greatly admire you and what you have accomplished. Very few people in the world have built a $10B market-cap technology company, taken it public, and scaled it to $750M in run-rate revenue. You have done incredible things with GitLab, and I’m grateful you will continue to play a meaningful role in the company. I appreciate your trust in me and commit to building upon the successes you and others should rightfully celebrate.
I am so excited about GitLab and the opportunity ahead of us. Over the coming decade, we will see software-driven transformation around the world as AI accelerates and transforms the software revolution already in motion. GitLab and our mission are going to be more important than ever. I look forward to working with this team to scale GitLab well beyond where it is today.
