A collective appeal from architects, DBAs, and engineers asserts that proprietary development, an absence of AI-era capabilities, and decreasing code contributions necessitate a foundation-driven approach that involves Oracle but prioritizes transparent roadmap planning.
Oracle is facing increasing pressure to relax its control over MySQL, as a coalition of database experts, developers, and long-standing contributors are urging the company to transition the widely used open-source database into a self-governing foundation model.
This urgent appeal, detailed in an open letter, highlights growing concerns regarding MySQL’s development pace, the clarity of its future direction, and its relevance within a data ecosystem increasingly shaped by AI innovations.
To date, the letter has garnered at least 248 signatures.
The signatories include database administrators, architects, and developers from MySQL fork providers such as Percona, MariaDB, and PlanetScale, alongside engineers and executives from prominent companies like Zoho, DigitalOcean, Vultr, and Pinterest, among others.
Open Letter Reveals Escalating Discontent with MySQL’s Trajectory
A primary concern among the signatories is Oracle’s approach to managing MySQL’s codebase updates. They argue this management style has led to a significant decrease in the database’s market share, as developers and businesses increasingly favor PostgreSQL, especially given the rising demand for AI-driven applications where databases are crucial for data consolidation and delivery.
The letter further claims that MySQL’s updates are not only “private” and infrequent but also lack essential features that have become standard for AI-driven workloads and are commonly found across most databases, including Oracle’s own enterprise versions, as stated by the signatories.
Indeed, Percona co-founder Vadim Tkachenko, a co-author of the letter, informed InfoWorld that corporate anxiety regarding MySQL’s direction under Oracle has reached a “critical” threshold.
He noted that enterprises are increasingly turning to MySQL fork providers and cloud platforms like AWS for new features and innovations, citing a perceived lack of progress in the foundational MySQL project.
However, Tkachenko highlighted that while enterprise interest and innovation at the fork and cloud-provider level are positive, they don’t contribute to MySQL’s overall advancement. Instead, they lead to confusion and fragmentation: “Often, forks are not compatible with each other and with upstream (core OSS MySQL), which creates major barriers for adoption and migrations.”
MySQL’s Market Share Dips as AI Workloads Favor PostgreSQL
Analysts corroborate Tkachenko’s observations. “Stephanie Walter, who leads the AI stack at HyperFRAME Research, stated, “The concerns articulated in the open letter about MySQL’s development speed and governance align with my own assessments.”
Walter further explained, “The database layer is becoming an essential component for AI systems. When developers and enterprises perceive upstream development as sluggish or secretive regarding contemporary demands, they don’t merely voice complaints. They seek alternative solutions, most likely turning to options such as PostgreSQL.”
Reinforcing Walter’s comments, Tony Baer, chief analyst at dbinsight, highlighted that MySQL forks indeed lead to vendor lock-in due to their distinct individual extensions, thereby complicating migration processes.
The Foundation Model: Signatories Outline Their Demands
Nevertheless, Tkachenko and other signatories believe there’s a viable solution to steer MySQL out of its current predicament: Oracle’s agreement to transfer MySQL’s stewardship to an independent, non-profit foundation.
As detailed in the open letter, the proposed framework envisions MySQL being governed by a neutral, non-profit foundation. This foundation would feature a technical steering committee comprising representatives from Oracle, fork providers, cloud vendors, and the wider contributor community.
This foundation would take charge of roadmap planning, release oversight, and managing contributor access, while allowing Oracle to maintain its commercial MySQL offerings and associated trademarks.
The signatories contend that this arrangement would safeguard Oracle’s business interests while simultaneously enhancing confidence among vendors and enterprises regarding the database. This increased confidence would stem from transparent roadmaps, predictable updates, and a clear long-term technical direction, all while mitigating fragmentation across various forks.
Foundation Model May Not Fully Address Power Imbalances
However, analysts expressed skepticism about the efficacy of the foundation model proposed in the letter.
Walter remarked, “It won’t completely resolve the fundamental power dynamics if Oracle retains ownership of the trademark and effective control over the release pipeline.” She acknowledged that the proposed model might improve coordination and contribution processes—another point of concern raised by the signatories.
Further elaborating, Walter highlighted that the proposed structure differs significantly from self-governing, community-driven initiatives like PostgreSQL, whose governance model has been instrumental in fostering contributor trust and accelerating widespread adoption over time.
A 2025 Stack Overflow survey indicates that PostgreSQL surpasses MySQL in both usage and overall popularity.
The diminishing popularity of MySQL can be directly linked to a substantial reduction in the number of contributors and code commits over recent years.
Julia Vural, a software engineering manager at Percona, documented in a blog post that the active contributor base for MySQL dwindled to approximately 75 by Q3 2025, a stark contrast to 135 active contributors recorded in Q4 2017.
Similarly, Vural also noted that the overall number of commits decreased from 22,360 in 2010 to just 4,730 in 2024.
Additional contributing factors include recent workforce reductions within Oracle’s MySQL division, notably the departure of Oracle MySQL community manager Frederic Descamps, who transitioned to the MariaDB Foundation this week.
Oracle has not yet provided an immediate response to inquiries regarding the open letter.
