JetBrains CEO Maxim Shafirov made an announcement yesterday that JetBrains will indefinitely suspend sales and R&D activities in Russia , as well as indefinitely suspend sales in Belarus.
In his announcement, Shafirov mentioned that JetBrains condemns the attacks launched by the Russian government and chooses to stand with the people of Ukraine, including their colleagues and families.
JetBrains was founded 22 years ago in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. Over the years, they have continued to expand their offices to other countries, opening R&D centers in St. Petersburg, Boston, Munich, Amsterdam, etc. All three of JetBrains’ founders are Russian, and about half of their employees are located in Russia.
Based on this, Shafirov said the decision to suspend operations in Russia was the toughest decision JetBrains has ever made. It affects the entire company’s operations and, more importantly, its employees. But they can’t ignore what is happening because it goes against the values JetBrains has always held.
Many JetBrains employees in Russia have reportedly moved to other locations, and the company will support them all equally and continue to build the best developer products.