PostgreSQL creator Michael Stonebraker says Oracle inadvertently fuelled his database's rise to dominance by acquiring rival MySQL in 2010. He told The Register that fear of Oracle controlling MySQL's future pushed developers towards PostgreSQL, which remains free of any single vendor's control, driving what he calls "open source at its absolute best". The shift matters because PostgreSQL, launched 30 years ago this summer, has since become the backbone of database offerings from Microsoft, AWS and Google, while MySQL is now "vanishing as a competitor".

Stonebraker noted that PostgreSQL became developers' most popular database choice in 2023, according to Stack Overflow's survey, with hyperscalers and firms such as CockroachDB and YugabyteDB now offering PostgreSQL-compatible services built on its wire protocol. Oracle acquired MySQL as part of its Sun Microsystems purchase, and concerns about its commitment deepened after "widespread layoffs" hit MySQL's core development team last September. Now in his 80s, Stonebraker remains active, having co-founded DBOS three years ago, a company that has pivoted towards using "time travel" durable-execution technology to make AI agent workflows more resilient.