GitHub bug deleted YC startup's entire org with 10k-star repo; recovery fumbled for weeks
kingslyj · x · 2026-10-21
A YC-backed startup (silennai) reports GitHub deleted their entire org via a bug—including a 10k-star repo—without any notification. Root cause: a cleanup bug tied to 'Enterprise free trial cancellation after 90 days,' even though their 'cancellation' was actually upgrading to a paid Enterprise plan with thousands of dollars spent on seats and CI.
It took two weeks to get a response, and the 'fix' was partial:
- The main repo was restored but currently sits under someone else's account
- 3 repos, PRs, and related data are unrecoverable; thousands of potential stars and community contributions lost
- Even with YC backing and investor escalation channels, resolution dragged on for weeks
The author questions the reliability of the 'four trillion dollar company' and worries about what less-connected users face.
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