MySQL Community Calls for Independent Foundation as Oracle's Commitment Questioned

A coalition of influential MySQL users and developers has issued an open letter to Oracle, proposing the creation of an independent foundation to guide the future development of the popular open-source database. The initiative, which has garnered around 100 signatures at the time of writing, aims to address growing concerns about MySQL's declining market share and Oracle's stewardship of the platform.

The Case for Independence

The group behind the open letter argues that MySQL faces several critical challenges that threaten its long-term viability. These include declining popularity among new projects and younger developers, who increasingly favor PostgreSQL, making it difficult to attract fresh talent to the MySQL ecosystem. The letter also highlights concerns about the lack of transparency in MySQL's development under Oracle's management, with development occurring largely behind closed doors through private code drops.

Security-related bugs are now publicly tracked, the group notes, leaving users unable to verify whether known issues affect them. Many developers suspect that Oracle is prioritizing proprietary enterprise features and HeatWave over the community edition, while the process for community code contributions remains opaque and frustrating.

Technical Shortcomings

Beyond governance issues, the group points to technical limitations that put MySQL at a disadvantage in the modern database landscape. The platform lacks features that have become standard for contemporary databases, such as vector search capabilities often used to support AI applications. This technical gap, combined with the aging developer community and insufficient influx of new contributors, creates a concerning trajectory for MySQL's future relevance.

The Foundation Proposal

The proposed solution is the formation of a vendor-neutral, nonprofit foundation that would serve as a shared home for the MySQL ecosystem, independent of any single company's commercial interests. The group emphasizes that a foundation isn't merely administrative paperwork but a practical, proven structure to address the systemic issues facing MySQL.

Vadim Tkachenko, speaking on behalf of the developers and users behind the open letter, previously worked for MySQL AB, the Swedish company that developed the database before its acquisition by Sun Microsystems and subsequently Oracle. Tkachenko, who is also CTO at open source consultancy Percona, has set a deadline of the end of March for Oracle to respond to the initiative.

Oracle's Response and Community Skepticism

Last week, Oracle promised a "decisive new approach" to MySQL, announcing new engineering leadership and "a clear vision for 2026 and beyond." Frederic Descamps, Oracle's MySQL community manager, pledged a new era of community engagement, promising developer-focused features in the open-source MySQL Community Edition and plans to extend and enrich the developer community with more tools, frameworks, and connectors.

However, Tkachenko describes the Oracle MySQL team as "in chaos right now," noting that Descamps has announced his departure to become community manager for the MariaDB Foundation, itself based around a fork of MySQL. Oracle has not appointed a vice president to head up MySQL development, according to Tkachenko's claims.

The Need for Accountability

Peter Zaitsev, Percona co-founder and MySQL performance expert who also signed the letter, argues that Oracle's promises have not been sufficient to halt the initiative. "We need to understand what Oracle will actually be able to execute," Zaitsev said. "We believe, especially in this case, when Oracle makes these promises, there should be an independent organization of MySQL users to keep Oracle accountable."

Zaitsev emphasizes the importance of having an organization that can speak with a single voice to hold Oracle accountable for its commitments. The group also wants to see a wider group of companies invited into the MySQL development community, noting that mysql.com currently features only Oracle-related content, unlike PostgreSQL's more inclusive approach that showcases all PostgreSQL vendors on an even playing field.

Historical Context and Industry Implications

This initiative comes against a backdrop of ongoing concerns about Oracle's commitment to MySQL. MySQL's founding developer, Michael "Monty" Widenius, last year expressed being "heartbroken" upon hearing news of job losses at Oracle's MySQL engineering team. The system has also seen a dramatic fall in the number of commits to the project, raising questions about its long-term vitality.

The coming months will be crucial in determining whether Oracle can address the concerns of the MySQL community or whether the push for an independent foundation will gain momentum. The outcome could have significant implications not just for MySQL but for the broader open-source database ecosystem, potentially setting precedents for how large tech companies steward widely-used open-source projects.

The initiative represents a significant challenge to Oracle's control over one of the most widely deployed databases in the world, highlighting the tension between corporate ownership of open-source projects and community-driven development models. As the deadline approaches, the MySQL community waits to see whether Oracle will engage constructively with the proposal or whether the foundation will move forward without the database giant's participation.