Microsoft Becomes Platinum Member of Linux Foundation

On 16/11/2016, Microsoft announced that it had joined the Linux Foundation as a Platinum Member, the organization’s highest level of membership. The announcement was made during Microsoft’s Connect; developer event in New York. Platinum membership typically requires an annual contribution of about $500,000 and includes a seat on the Linux Foundation’s Board of Directors. Microsoft appointed Azure architect John Gossman to represent the company on the board. The move reflected Microsoft’s expanding involvement with open-source technologies and Linux-based workloads, particularly within its Azure cloud platform. Microsoft also announced a public preview of SQL Server for Linux at the same event, marking the first time the database system was made available on the Linux operating system. In addition, Microsoft confirmed that Google had joined the .NET Foundation, another development highlighted during the Connect; conference. Microsoft’s entry into the Linux Foundation followed several years of increased contributions to open-source projects and support for Linux in its cloud services. The November 2016 announcement formalized Microsoft’s participation in the Linux ecosystem through governance involvement, collaborative development, and expanded cross-platform software offerings.