Modern Web Databases at Extreme Scale (PlanetScale CEO Sam Lambert)
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Jan 8, 2026 
In this discussion, Sam Lambert, Co-founder and CEO of PlanetScale, shares his expertise on scalable databases. He highlights the pivotal moments for companies migrating their databases, revealing the risks of waiting too long. Sam uncovers the trade-offs of automatic database solutions and emphasizes the importance of a solid schema. He also dives into PlanetScale’s expansion into Postgres and new offerings like Metal, while discussing how AI is shifting database workloads to be more write-heavy, increasing the demand for reliability and performance.
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Streaming Platform Scaled On PlanetScale
- A popular streaming platform started on PlanetScale and scaled from a $39 bill to six-figure spend as it grew.
- Sam Lambert watched them shard and scale quickly and described it as validating PlanetScale's approach.
Migrations Can Be Hours Or Years
- Some migrations take years because you're changing the wheels on a moving bus for very large consumer products.
- Sam recounts migrations ranging from hours to multi-year projects depending on scale and validation needs.
Migrate Before You're On Fire
- Migrate when you're busy enough to see limits but not on fire; Series A/B teams often hit the sweet spot.
- Move before catastrophic failure so you have room to test and avoid stressful emergency migrations.