Bill Staples Takes Over as GitLab CEO While Co-founder Steps to Board Leadership Role

GitLab Inc. (NASDAQ: GTLB), a comprehensive AI-powered DevSecOps platform, has announced a significant leadership transition. Bill Staples has been appointed as the new CEO and board member, effective immediately. Co-founder Sid Sijbrandij, who established GitLab over the past twelve years, is transitioning to executive chair of the board to prioritize his health and cancer treatment.

Strategic Leadership Change for DevSecOps Market Leader

The transition reflects GitLab’s maturation as the market-leading AI-powered DevSecOps platform. Sijbrandij founded GitLab as a developer collaboration tool that has evolved into an enterprise-scale platform trusted by over half of the Fortune 100 companies. The company now serves more than 10,000 customers and maintains $750M in run-rate revenue, positioning it as a dominant force in software development infrastructure.

“I am very pleased to welcome Bill to lead GitLab,” Sijbrandij stated. “What began as a simple developer tool has transformed into the most comprehensive DevSecOps platform. I’m confident GitLab is well-positioned for continued success as I focus on my cancer treatment, which is progressing well and remains non-metastatic.”

Who is Bill Staples? A 30-Year Platform Builder

Staples brings nearly three decades of experience scaling developer-focused platforms. Most recently, he served as CEO at New Relic, where he significantly increased enterprise value through accelerated revenue growth and profitability improvements, making the platform one of its category’s most widely adopted solutions.

His background spans major technology companies. At Microsoft and Adobe, Staples held executive leadership positions where he built and scaled multiple multi-billion-dollar business units. This track record of bringing teams together and driving enterprise software innovation aligns with GitLab’s next growth phase.

“I am honored and excited to lead GitLab into this next chapter,” Staples commented. “For twelve years, the team has established GitLab as the industry’s most comprehensive AI-powered DevSecOps platform that developers love. I’m committed to helping customers and partners accelerate innovation and deliver measurable business value.”

Market Position: 40M Users and Growing Influence

GitLab’s ecosystem spans 40 million registered users globally, with over 50% of Fortune 100 companies leveraging the platform for software development and security. This scale reflects the company’s critical role in modern DevSecOps workflows.

Godfrey Sullivan, lead independent director of GitLab’s board, praised both the outgoing and incoming leadership. “Sid’s vision over the last decade established GitLab as a market-leading DevSecOps company. Bill’s experience scaling enterprise software organizations, combined with his innovation focus, makes him the ideal person to lead the company forward.”

The CEO transition positions GitLab to continue its trajectory as enterprises globally prioritize DevSecOps capabilities for accelerated digital transformation and secure software delivery.