> GitLab started applying pressure and I think GitHub responded well, staying competitive in the face of a competent challenger.

Exactly. That's what drives features and improvements.

VC money lets you buy new sneakers but if you're looking to lose weight, a tiger chasing you is a much stronger motivation.

It may have just been a coincidence. I believe they brought major features online two or three weeks after the HN-hatefest against them started, hardly enough time.

I'd also like to point out that Github was probably the most important change in OSS software by a wide margin. People easily forget comfort they've grown accustomed to, but it's worth to take a trip into the past from time to time: https://sourceforge.net/projects/avogadro/?source=frontpage&...

(and that's today's sourceforge – they didn't do much, but 10 years ago it was definitely even worse)