# Sytse 'Sid' Sijbrandij

> Dutch entrepreneur and self-taught Ruby programmer Sid Sijbrandij co-founded GitLab after discovering its open-source project in 2012. He led the company as CEO through its 2021 Nasdaq listing and became Executive Chair in December 2024. He founded Open Core Ventures, co-founded Kilo Code, and supports economic opportunity and public art through philanthropic organizations.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Executive Chair at GitLab
- **Organizations:** GitLab, Open Core Ventures, Kilo Code, GitLab Foundation, Sijbrandij Foundation, U-Boat Worx, Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security
- **Nationality:** Dutch
- **Education:** M.S. in Management Science, University of Twente, Y Combinator
- **Known for:** Co-founded and commercialized GitLab, leading it through its 2021 IPO., Built and advocated a distributed company operating through public documentation and asynchronous communication., Founded Open Core Ventures to start businesses around open-source projects.

## Career timeline

- **2003-2007** — Served as operational director at recreational submersible company U-Boat Worx.
- **2007** — Encountered Ruby and taught himself to program.
- **2009-2012** — Served as a part-time software architect at the Dutch Ministry of Safety and Justice.
- **2012** — Discovered GitLab and tested interest in GitLab.com on Hacker News.
- **2013** — Partnered with Dmitriy Zaporozhets to commercialize GitLab with an Enterprise Edition.
- **2014** — GitLab Inc. was incorporated.
- **2015** — Led GitLab through Y Combinator’s winter batch.
- **2021** — Led GitLab to a Nasdaq listing on October 14, under GTLB.
- **2022** — GitLab Foundation launched in September, supported by GitLab and his family foundation.
- **2024** — Transitioned from GitLab CEO to Executive Chair on December 5.
- **2025** — Co-founded Kilo Code; Big Art Loop was publicly announced in September.
- **2026** — Anaconda acquired Kilo Code on July 15.

## Achievements

- Co-founded and commercialized GitLab, leading it through its 2021 IPO.
- Built and advocated a distributed company operating through public documentation and asynchronous communication.
- Founded Open Core Ventures to start businesses around open-source projects.
- Co-founded Kilo Code, acquired by Anaconda in July 2026.
- With Karen Sijbrandij, founded and funded Big Art Loop through the Sijbrandij Foundation.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Anaconda announced its acquisition of Kilo Code, which Sid co-founded, on July 15.
- **2026-07** — Published advice on commercializing open-core companies at Open Core Ventures on July 2.
- **2026-06** — Published advice on prioritizing heavy users’ feedback over prospective customers’ final objections.
- **2025-09** — Sid and Karen’s foundation announced Big Art Loop with San Francisco: plans for up to 100 temporary large sculptures over three years.
- **2025-01** — Published his career-scorecard story in a new personal newsletter.
- **2024-12** — Became GitLab’s Executive Chair, with Bill Staples appointed CEO.

## Links

- Website: https://sytse.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sijbrandij
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/sytses
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sytses
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sytse

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/sid-sijbrandij
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11