JetBrains
In 2000, three Russian software developers established a company in Prague. Sergey Dmitriev, Valentin Kipyatkov, and Eugene Belyaev launched IntelliJ Software. Their first product was IntelliJ Renamer, a tool designed for code refactoring in Java. The founders operated from the Czech capital while maintaining their Russian origins. This small team began building tools that would eventually reshape how programmers write code. They focused on solving specific problems faced by Java developers rather than chasing broad market trends. The early years were defined by technical precision and a refusal to compromise on quality. No external investors funded these initial efforts. The company grew through organic sales of its development tools.
JetBrains released IntelliJ IDEA as a flagship integrated development environment for Java virtual machine languages. The platform supports Groovy, Kotlin, and Scala alongside standard Java. An open-source version named Community Edition exists under the Apache License 2.0 since 2009. Google later built Android Studio using this same community edition foundation. The company expanded its portfolio to include PyCharm for Python and WebStorm for JavaScript. Some products like AppCode and Aqua received discontinuation notices in recent years. AppCode support ended on the 31st of December 2023 after serving macOS users exclusively. Aqua, a test automation IDE, ceased operations in 2025. Fleet, a multi-purpose IDE, also officially discontinued in 2025. Writerside, a technical writing tool, was removed from the product line in 2025. The marketplace now hosts over 8,860 plugins extending core functionality. This ecosystem allows developers to customize their workflows extensively without leaving the interface.
In 2011, JetBrains introduced Kotlin as a statically typed programming language running on the Java Virtual Machine. The name derives from Kotlin Island located near St. Petersburg. The language compiles to JavaScript or native code via LLVM while maintaining JVM compatibility. Open-sourcing occurred in February 2012 following two years of development. Google adopted Kotlin as an official language for Android app development by June 2015. Eclipse ADT support ended that same month making Android Studio the primary mobile tool. JetBrains MPS serves as an open-source workbench for domain-specific languages. Ktor provides a framework for connected applications using the same technology across server and client sides. These innovations allowed the company to influence modern software architecture beyond simple editor tools.
The New York Times reported in 2021 that unknown parties might have embedded malware in TeamCity CI/CD software. This incident linked to the SolarWinds hack involved widespread security compromises affecting US governmental agencies. JetBrains issued a press release stating they had not been contacted by any government or security agency. They denied taking part or being involved in this attack in any way. The CEO of SolarWinds asked about the possibility that tools speeding up code development were the pathway used. TeamCity functions as a continuous integration and delivery server written entirely in Java. The report described potentially the biggest breach of United States networks in history. No evidence directly implicated the Prague-based team despite the severity of the allegations. The company maintained its position throughout the investigation period.
Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, JetBrains suspended sales and R&D activities in Russia indefinitely. Sales in Belarus also stopped during this period. The legal entity operating within Russia was liquidated on the 21st of February 2023. Before the conflict began between 2012 and 2021, the company supported several educational projects in Russia. These included partnerships with universities like Saint Petersburg State University and the Steklov Mathematical Institute. A Laboratory of Mobile Robot Algorithms existed under their research umbrella. BioLabs Laboratory operated as a consortium of scientific teams before the suspension took effect. The headquarters moved to Amsterdam while offices remained open in China, Europe, and the United States. This shift marked a definitive end to operations within the Russian Federation.
JetBrains AI Assistant integrates into most IDEs to provide AI-powered code completion and documentation generation. Models from OpenAI and Google work alongside proprietary systems developed internally. Mellum emerged as a 4-billion-parameter large language model released under the Apache 2.0 license in April 2025. Training data came from collections licensed under Apache 2.0 focusing on permissively sourced source code. This focal model specializes in code completion and coding-related tasks powering the assistant features. JetBrains AI became a plugin added to every IDE combining auto-completion with chatbot functionality. Gemini models integrated into the assistant during 2024 collaborations with Google Cloud. This made it the first tool combining GPT-4o, Gemini, and proprietary models simultaneously. The technology aims to streamline development workflows without replacing human judgment entirely.
JetBrains achieved significant financial growth without raising external capital or seeking venture funding. Revenue grew by 11% in 2022 following an 11.4 million recurring active user base. A 5.6% year-over-year revenue increase appeared in 2023 highlights. EBITDA reached $200 million generated in 2020 proving profitability without outside investment. The business model relies primarily on software subscriptions rather than one-time purchases. Free non-commercial licenses now cover tools like RustRover for specific use cases. IntelliJ IDEA unifies its flagship offering into a single download containing both free and paid features. Partnerships extend to over 140 resellers worldwide including Salesforce as the largest partner. More than 954,277 students received special discounts upon graduation in recent years. Educational packs benefited 1,840,580 students and 94,041 teachers in 2024 alone. These figures demonstrate sustained demand despite geopolitical challenges and market shifts.
Common questions
Who founded JetBrains and when was the company established?
Sergey Dmitriev, Valentin Kipyatkov, and Eugene Belyaev established JetBrains in 2000. The three Russian software developers launched IntelliJ Software from Prague while maintaining their Russian origins.
What is the history of Kotlin development by JetBrains?
JetBrains introduced Kotlin as a statically typed programming language running on the Java Virtual Machine in 2011. Open-sourcing occurred in February 2012 following two years of development before Google adopted it for Android app development by June 2015.
When did JetBrains discontinue AppCode and other products?
AppCode support ended on the 31st of December 2023 after serving macOS users exclusively. Aqua ceased operations in 2025 and Fleet officially discontinued in 2025 alongside Writerside which was removed from the product line in 2025.
How did JetBrains respond to the TeamCity malware allegations in 2021?
JetBrains issued a press release stating they had not been contacted by any government or security agency regarding the incident. They denied taking part or being involved in this attack in any way despite reports linking the breach to the SolarWinds hack affecting US governmental agencies.
Why did JetBrains suspend sales and R&D activities in Russia?
Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, JetBrains suspended sales and R&D activities in Russia indefinitely. The legal entity operating within Russia was liquidated on the 21st of February 2023 marking a definitive end to operations within the Russian Federation.
What is the financial status and business model of JetBrains?
JetBrains achieved significant financial growth without raising external capital or seeking venture funding. Revenue grew by 11% in 2022 following an 11.4 million recurring active user base with EBITDA reaching $200 million generated in 2020 proving profitability without outside investment.