Question 1

True or false: GitHub contributions are tracked by a private algorithm that can be bribed with stars.

Accepted Answer

False. No, contributions are based on real commits, pull requests, and issues. Stars don't affect the contribution graph, and there is no bribery mechanism—this is absurd.

Question 2

True or false: GitHub is owned by a consortium of venture capital firms.

Accepted Answer

False. GitHub is wholly owned by Microsoft since its 2018 acquisition. It is not controlled by venture capital firms, though it did receive VC funding before the sale.

Question 3

True or false: GitHub was originally named Logical Awesome LLC before becoming GitHub.

Accepted Answer

True. GitHub started as Logical Awesome LLC in 2008. The founders chose that name as a placeholder while they built the platform, only later rebranding to GitHub.

Question 4

True or false: GitHub stores the entire source code for the Apollo 11 moon landing mission.

Accepted Answer

True. In 2016, a contributor uploaded the original Apollo 11 guidance computer source code to GitHub. It remains publicly accessible as a historical artifact.

Question 5

True or false: Microsoft bought GitHub primarily for its AI capabilities.

Accepted Answer

False. Microsoft acquired GitHub in 2018 for $7.5 billion mainly to integrate with its developer tools and cloud services, not for AI. GitHub's AI features like Copilot came years later.

Question 6

True or false: GitHub's Arctic Code Vault stores open-source code on film in a Norwegian coal mine.

Accepted Answer

True. In 2020, GitHub archived 21 TB of public repos on silver halide film reels, stored in a decommissioned coal mine in Svalbard, Norway, for 1,000 years.

Question 7

True or false: The first commit on GitHub was made by a user named 'mojombo' on October 19, 2007.

Accepted Answer

True. Tom Preston-Werner (mojombo), a co-founder, made GitHub's first commit on Oct 19, 2007. The repo was 'github-git' and it laid the foundation for the platform.

Question 8

True or false: GitHub once had a feature called 'The Octocat' that would delete your repo if you didn't use it.

Accepted Answer

False. The Octocat is GitHub's mascot, not a feature. This is a made-up myth. GitHub has never had an automated deletion feature tied to a mascot.

GitHub Trivia Questions