India to become top GitHub community by 2030: Microsoft CEO
11 Dec 2025

Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella has predicted that India will become the world's leading community on GitHub by 2030.

The announcement was made during Nadella's keynote address at the Building India's AI Frontier event in Bengaluru.

He praised India's contribution to the global developer ecosystem, citing its "engagement and the type of projects that are coming out of this place."

Nadella emphasizes AI's transformative role in tech
AI impact

During his speech, Nadella stressed on the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI) in technology.

He said that the software industry is moving into a phase where traditional development models are no longer enough.

This shift, he said, calls for developers and organizations to adopt an entirely new approach powered by AI.

"We need a new way to think about the frontier of the classic software development life cycle (SDLC)," he added.

AI's role in empowering people
Tech purpose

Nadella also emphasized that the purpose of technology has always been to empower people and institutions. He said that AI now allows this mission to expand exponentially.

"We're not building for building's sake. We're building to have impact," he said, referring to visible changes in customer-facing systems, workplace productivity, and operational processes.

Nadella outlines new approach for software development
Development shift

Nadella also talked about a major change in how developers approach the SDLC.

He said that instead of starting with detailed specifications, teams in the AI era must start with evaluation.

"You start with the test, not the spec," he said, adding that this inversion requires a major mindset shift.

This approach ensures products are anchored in practical value rather than theoretical planning.

Need for updated tools in AI-first development
Tool evolution

Nadella also stressed on the need for updated tools and capabilities to support AI-first development.

He introduced the term "context engineering," a discipline built on data engineering but aimed at preparing and structuring information optimally for AI systems.

Its purpose, he said, is to ensure intelligence models receive the right context and structure to produce reliable, meaningful results.