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$10 million gift from 44 year old Sid Sijbrandij’s GitLab to create economic opportunity globally
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$10 million gift from 44 year old Sid Sijbrandij’s GitLab to create economic opportunity globally

The GitLab Foundation – a non-profit launched in 2022 by 44 year old Sid Sijbrandij to improve people’s lifetime earnings through access to opportunities –announced a three-year, $10 million Commitment to Action to accelerate how emerging technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI), can create economic opportunity globally.

Announced on stage on the first day of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2023 meeting, the commitment will look to drive $1 billion in new income for people earning below a living wage through the responsible use of technology such as AI, advanced data science, and cloud computing.

Almost one in five of the world’s employed population (over 630 million working people) do not earn enough to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. In fact, half of the global population lives on less than US$6.85 per person per day.

Ellie Bertani, President and CEO of the GitLab Foundation, said:

“People everywhere aspire to improve their lives, support their families, and contribute to their communities. But often, achieving this can seem impossible. Through our investments at the GitLab Foundation we’re helping people to afford a better life through education, training, access to employment, and systems change on a global scale.”

“Emerging technology is at the forefront of our investments, and we’re excited to be able to announce our $10 million Global Commitment to Action at CGI. Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming how people learn and work; we want to make sure that we seize this moment and create opportunities that build incomes and improve lives.”

A combination of emerging technologies, the global transition to remote-friendly work, and increased connectivity is transforming global access to education and employment, particularly for rural and low-income communities historically disconnected from economic opportunity.

Imagine, for example, if every student in the world had access to a personalized tutor who knew how to speak their language and exactly how to support their learning. Khan Academy is using AI to build just that kind of tutor, named Khanmigo, with the goal of providing best-in-class personalized teaching and support to every student in the world.

The GitLab Foundation is seeking to support the development of many more of these kinds of creative applications that increase people’s access to opportunity, education and gainful employment.

The GitLab Foundation’s $10 million commitment will advance the use of technology across its global grant making geographies including the USA, East Africa, and Latin America.

The GitLab Foundation is supporting people to grow their lifetime earnings through education, training, access to employment, and systems change on a global scale. Through our investments, we hope to support people who are living below a living wage to significantly grow their income. We have an ambitious North Star goal of driving over $100 in lifetime earnings increases per dollar we spend as a foundation. The GitLab Foundation is an independent private foundation, associated with GitLab, Inc.

Founded by President Bill Clinton in 2005, the Clinton Global Initiative is a community of doers representing a broad cross section of society and dedicated to the idea that we can accomplish more together than we can apart.  Through CGI’s unique model, more than 9,000 organizations have launched more than 3,900 Commitments to Action — new, specific, and measurable projects and programs.

Sid Sijbrandij is the Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair of GitLab Inc., the DevOps platform. GitLab’s single application helps organizations deliver software faster and more efficiently while strengthening their security and compliance.

Sid’s career path has been anything but traditional. He spent four years building recreational submarines for U-Boat Worx and while at Ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid he worked on the Legis project, which developed several innovative web applications to aid lawmaking.

He first saw Ruby code in 2007 and loved it so much that he taught himself how to program. In 2012, as a Ruby programmer, he encountered GitLab and discovered his passion for open source. Soon after, Sid commercialized GitLab, and by 2015 he led the company through Y Combinator’s Winter 2015 batch. Under his leadership, the company has grown with an estimated 30 million+ registered users from startups to global enterprises.

Sid studied at the University of Twente in the Netherlands where he received an M.S. in Management Science. Sid was named one of the greatest minds of the pandemic by Forbes for spreading the gospel of remote work.


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