This Week in Startups E1098 The Next Unicorns E14: Cockroach Labs CEO Spencer Kimball on the coming paradigm shifts in tech, competing against AWS & more
Aug 19, 2020
In this chat, Spencer Kimball, CEO of Cockroach Labs, dives into the shifting landscape of database technology. He discusses the fierce competition with AWS and outlines strategies for startups navigating this space. The conversation touches on the evolution of open source and its impact on software sales, emphasizing the importance of collaboration. Spencer also explores the influence of 5G tech on connectivity and how it can expand opportunities in tech, especially concerning privacy and remote work dynamics.
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Google AdWords Early Days
- Spencer Kimball worked at Google during AdWords' formative years.
- He tackled database challenges stemming from the platform's rapid growth.
Sharding Challenges
- Early database sharding at Google, while scaling linearly, increased complexity for applications.
- This led to system breaks, demanding new tech solutions.
AdWords Scaling Issues
- Google AdWords, initially using MySQL, faced scaling issues.
- Despite reaching a temporary stability at 32 shards, it eventually grew to a thousand, illustrating the limitations of sharding.