The Github Tax (I can't believe they actually did this...)

GitHub announced a new fee structure charging 0.008 cents per minute for using self-hosted runners with GitHub Actions, even when compute runs on third-party platforms like Blacksmith or Depot. This pricing change affects all self-hosted runners and has sparked widespread criticism from developers who view it as penalizing users for choosing alternatives to GitHub's infrastructure. The fee applies regardless of whether jobs run for seconds or minutes, and critics argue GitHub is extracting revenue from an ecosystem while failing to invest in improving Actions' performance, reliability, and observability. The change has intensified concerns about GitHub's direction under Microsoft ownership and lack of clear leadership.