The archive · Developer & Business Tools · People decision · 2025–2026
ERSC bets AI-era teams outgrow Git's storage layer; Jujutsu creator joins as CTO
Amplify-backed ERSC bets version-control storage must change for AI-era software teams, and hired Jujutsu creator Martin von Zweigbergk as CTO to build it.
East River Source Control
What the business is
East River Source Control (ERSC) is a New York-based company building the next generation of version-control platforms 'for humans and machines,' targeting the storage and collaboration layer beyond Git. It launched in 2025, backed by Amplify Partners. Its first product, ERSC Storage, was scheduled to enter private beta in September 2026.
How it started
ERSC launched in 2025 with backing from Amplify Partners to build version-control platforms for 'humans and machines' as AI reshapes software engineering. Martin von Zweigbergk, creator of Jujutsu, joined as CTO: the September 1, 2026 press release says he started Jujutsu as a side project in late 2019, made it his full-time work at Google, previously worked on Fig (the Mercurial client over Google's Piper monorepo) and contributed to Git.
What happened
The announcement went straight to the Hacker News front page on September 1, 2026 (156 points, 120 comments). The thread tested the thesis — whether Git's ceiling is real, whether the product only matters for 100+ engineer monorepos, and how a company can monetize a layer developers expect to be free. ERSC Storage was entering private beta that month.
How it ended up
Still early and pre-revenue as of September 2026: ERSC Storage was about to enter private beta, no customers or pricing had been published, and the CTO hire is the company's strongest public signal to date.
Background
East River Source Control (ERSC) is building next-generation version-control platforms 'for humans and machines,' arguing that AI's reshaping of software engineering is multiplying the demands on source-code management. The company launched in 2025 with backing from Amplify Partners, and its first product, ERSC Storage, was scheduled to enter private beta in September 2026.
In its September 1, 2026 press release, ERSC named Martin von Zweigbergk — creator of the Jujutsu version control system, which has more than 30,000 GitHub stars — as CTO. Von Zweigbergk started Jujutsu as a side project in late 2019, made it his full-time work at Google, previously worked on Fig, the Mercurial client Google engineers use over the Piper monorepo, and has contributed to Git.
The strategic claim is specific: Jujutsu fixed the part of version control on the laptop, but 'the remote server is still Git, which has a ceiling that comes fast for products at scale.' ERSC's bet is that the storage layer itself must change to match AI-era workflows, and that a company can support that work better than an open-source project.
The hire hit the Hacker News front page on September 1, 2026 (156 points, 120 comments). The discussion tested the thesis — whether Git's ceiling is real, whether the market is limited to large monorepos, and whether individuals will ever need the product — making ERSC one of the most visible new entrants in the Git-alternative space.
What has to be true
- The bet is unusually precise: not a new Git client or hosting UI, but a new storage layer, argued in the CTO's own words.
- The hire is a credibility shortcut — 30,000+ GitHub stars and a decade of Google version-control work give ERSC instant legitimacy against incumbents.
- The HN reaction is a live market debate: skeptics say only large monorepos need it, while fans say stacked diffs and agent-scale collaboration are table stakes.
- It is early enough to watch the bet being placed — private beta, no published revenue — before any outcome is claimed.
What can be applied
Hire the person who owns the problem: making Jujutsu's creator CTO bought ERSC a decade of expertise and instant credibility in a category where developers debate the technical argument.
Aftermath
As of September 2, 2026 ERSC Storage was about to enter private beta and no pricing, customers or revenue had been published. Von Zweigbergk continues as core maintainer of Jujutsu under Apache 2.0. The company's public record is a founding statement plus this hire, so the open question is whether AI-era collaboration pushes enough teams past Git's storage ceiling to sustain a company between the open-source client and the giant hosted platforms.
Sources
- East River Source Control Names Jujutsu Creator Martin von Zweigbergk Chief Technology Officer
- Martin von Zweigbergk, creador de Jujutsu, asume como CTO de East River Source Control
- The creator of Jujutsu has joined ERSC (HN item 49525297)
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