Owning your data: The open source path with Nextcloud and MariaDB

12 snips

Aug 21, 2025

Guest

Anna Widenius

Guest

Michael “Monty” Widenius

Join database legends Michael "Monty" Widenius, the mastermind behind MySQL and MariaDB, along with Anna Widenius, CEO of the MariaDB Foundation. They explore the origin of MariaDB, driven by the need for data sovereignty in the face of commercial challenges. Monty shares insights on shifting away from vendor lock-in while Anna emphasizes community growth and education. They discuss the importance of open formats for long-term data accessibility and sound the alarm on AI's centralization of power, advocating for self-hosting and controlling your own data.

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ANECDOTE

Fork Born Overnight To Save MySQL

Michael “Monty” Widenius forked MySQL into MariaDB the same day Oracle announced buying Sun to protect engineers and users.
He funded the fork personally and kept development alive to prevent MySQL’s effective death.

INSIGHT

Forks Need Developers And Funding

Forking a commercial open source product is costly and complex because you must fund developers and win customers.
Monty notes a fork needs committed engineers and paying customers to be sustainable.

ANECDOTE

Personal Funding Kept MariaDB Alive

Monty funded MariaDB personally through hard early years when Oracle pressured customers to buy long contracts.
MariaDB reached cash-flow positive only many years later after persistent funding and small support deals.

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We’re joined by Anna Widenius and Michael “Monty” Widenius, the people behind the MariaDB Foundation, who are here to help us unpack the challenges of the open source business, vendor lock-in, and owning your data through their unique lens — and experience.

And believe us, you will be interested to hear their story!

Anna Widenius is a CEO of the MariaDB Foundation, an organization that supports the sustainability, governance, and community of MariaDB. As prominent a thought leader as she is a driving force in the open source business, Anna will share insights into what the foundation — and its mission — are today.

Monty is a highly influential figure in the world of database development and open source software. He is the creator of the original MySQL database and MariaDB, originally a fork of the former, and a project through which Monty continues to lead the way in open source innovation.

To me, data sovereignty means being able to control your own data. Where it leaves, who can access it, in what format. And yes, it’s part of a broader concept of digital sovereignty which is essentially about self-determination in the digital world. And that said, in many ways it all begins with open source because control and freedom go hand in hand.

Anna Widenius
CEO, MariaDB Foundation

In this episode, after covering all the Whats, Whens, and Whys of open source and owning your data, we dive into more thought-provoking questions, including:

What would MySQL be today without MariaDB?

Is there anything Anna or Monty would have done differently?

And the big one — a question every leader in an open source community must grapple with:

How do you align your open source business with community stewardship and vitality?

This episode is for anyone active in the open source community or interested in open source software, as Anna and Monty give a behind-the-scenes look with wit and insight!

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