MariaDB’s New CEO Charts Path Forward: Strengthening Community Ties Post-Privatization
A Fresh Start Under Private Equity Ownership
MariaDB’s newly appointed CEO, Rohit De Souza, is prioritizing closer collaboration with the MariaDB Foundation as the database company enters a new era under private equity ownership. K1 Investment Management’s recent $37 million acquisition has provided much-needed stability after a turbulent period that included a failed SPAC merger and subsequent stock market struggles.
From Public Struggles to Private Potential
- Failed SPAC Experiment: MariaDB’s 2022 public listing via SPAC valued the company at \(368 million - far below its \)672 million private valuation
- Private Equity Rescue: K1’s acquisition at just 10% of the SPAC valuation marks a dramatic turnaround
- Leadership Shift: Ex-Micro Focus executive De Souza takes helm during transition to private status (completed December 2024)
“With K1’s backing, the uncertainty about MariaDB’s future is gone,” De Souza told TechCrunch. “We’re now positioned to rebuild trust with our open source community.”
The MariaDB Foundation Relationship: A Complex History
Origins of the Split
MariaDB emerged in 2009 as a community-driven fork of MySQL after Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems (MySQL’s owner). Founder Michael “Monty” Widenius established:
- MariaDB Corporation (commercial entity)
- MariaDB Foundation (non-profit guardian of open source project)
Recent Thaw in Relations
Tensions had grown over corporate focus on proprietary products, but:
- Foundation CEO Kaj Arnö noted improved relations since May 2023 management changes
- Both organizations now hold “shared strategy sessions”
- Arnö states: “I’m more optimistic now than at any point since 2019”
Strategic Priorities Under New Leadership
Community-Centric Development
De Souza emphasizes:
- Leveraging MariaDB’s billion+ downloads and vibrant community
- Using Foundation as conduit for community feedback in product development
- Maintaining financial discipline despite “deep pockets” from K1
Technical Evolution
The Foundation is advancing:
- Vector search capabilities (critical for AI applications)
- Major code contributions from AWS (€500k/year diamond sponsor)
The Road Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities
Workforce Optimization
After cutting 100+ jobs (33% of workforce), MariaDB now:
- Employs ~200 globally (40% North America, 50% Europe)
- Plans strategic hiring in key areas
- Has discontinued non-core products like SkySQL
Leadership Experience
De Souza brings:
- Decades at tech giants (Intel, SAP, Oracle, HP)
- Recent experience with Micro Focus’ $6B acquisition
- Previous CEO role at Actian (acquired by HCL/Sumeru)
“My role is bringing enterprise rigor,” De Souza explained. “Profitability matters just as much as community engagement.”
Why This Matters for the Database Ecosystem
MariaDB remains:
- #15 overall database (DB-Engines Ranking)
- #9 relational database
- #4 open source relational database
The improved corporate-foundation relationship could reinvigorate development of this important open source alternative to MySQL and PostgreSQL.
MariaDB Foundation CEO Kaj Arnö (Image: MariaDB Foundation)
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