Postgres pioneer credits Oracle with helping his database take over the world
- ID
- 15566
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 19 Aug 2026, 8:37 PM
- Fetched
- 19 Aug 2026, 8:37 PM
- Provider
- The Register
- Category
- technology
- Original URL
- https://www.theregister.com/databases/2026/08/19/postgres-pioneer-credits-oracle-with-helping-his-database-take-over-the-world/5289087
- Source URL
- https://www.theregister.com/headlines.atom
Summary
- Score
- 6.5
- Created
- 19 Aug 2026, 8:38 PM
- Tags
- Audience
- developersdatabase_learnerssaas_founders
What happened
PostgreSQL creator Michael Stonebraker says Oracle's 2010 acquisition of MySQL inadvertently drove developers toward PostgreSQL, which became the most popular database in the 2023 Stack Overflow survey. He argues the PostgreSQL wire protocol is becoming the de facto standard, with Microsoft, Google, and Amazon all building compatible services, while MySQL is 'vanishing as a competitor' after Oracle's widespread layoffs across its MySQL dev team last September.
Why it matters
If you're choosing a database for a new SaaS or startup project, this reinforces betting on the PostgreSQL ecosystem—its wire protocol compatibility now spans hyperscaler managed services plus distributed systems like CockroachDB and YugabyteDB, giving you portability across vendors. The MySQL stagnation signal (Oracle layoffs) is worth weighing if you're currently on MySQL and considering migration timing.
Discussion angle
Is the PostgreSQL wire protocol becoming the 'x86 of databases'—and does that actually matter for a Malaysian startup picking between managed Postgres on AWS vs. a distributed PG-compatible system like CockroachDB, or is it just vendor lock-in with extra steps?