GitHub's usage of its artificial intelligence coding tool Copilot has risen sharply since it changed its billing system to a usage-based model, posting its highest-ever results in June. As competition among AI coding tools intensifies, the change in pricing is seen as having helped expand the user base.

Business Insider reported on June 24 that GitHub Chief Technology Officer Vladimir Fedorov (블라디미르 페도로프) told an internal meeting that "June was by far the best month on record."

He did not disclose specific figures. Fedorov said a quarter-end close was approaching and added, "I won't talk about the numbers."

The performance follows an overhaul of Copilot's billing system. From June 1, GitHub introduced a pay-as-you-go structure that charges based on actual usage, replacing the previous flat-rate model that provided a set volume of requests. The move aims to keep pace with rivals in the AI coding services market that have adopted usage-based billing models.

The company said customer usage rose sharply in June after the pricing change, and it was reported that GitHub internally confirmed record-high usage results.

Competition around GitHub is also intensifying. GitHub, a developer platform under Microsoft, maintains a strong position in code repositories and collaboration tools, but has recently faced competitive pressure as AI coding services such as Cursor, OpenAI Codex and Anthropic Claude Code grow rapidly.

A sense of crisis has also been detected within Microsoft. At an internal meeting late last year, it was reported that views were raised that GitHub needs to overhaul services across the board to maintain leadership in the AI coding market. That reflected a judgement that existing market share alone would make it difficult to sustain a competitive edge.

Fedorov took a cautious stance on pricing. He said that, based solely on rising usage, he personally does not feel a need to raise prices significantly. He avoided specifics, saying it was not yet time to disclose future pricing policy.

Infrastructure strain is also growing along with the rise in users. GitHub has experienced dozens of major outages this year as AI service usage has surged. As a result, Microsoft is reported to be using infrastructure support from cloud rival Amazon to secure server capacity.

The industry views June's performance as having meaning beyond a monthly record. That is because, as the AI coding market grows rapidly, the billing model, service stability and the ability to secure infrastructure are emerging as key factors determining competitiveness.

How GitHub responds to the offensive from rival services such as Cursor, OpenAI and Anthropic, while stably handling surging user demand, is cited as a key variable in future market competition.