Today we take a deep dive into the world of PostgreSQL extensions, featuring our conversation with Heikki Linnakangas, co-founder of Neon, an expert Postgres hacker, and contributor to pgvector. Heikki shares the fascinating story of how Neon was born in 2021, driven by the vision of creating an open-source platform akin to Aurora Serverless. He delves into the early challenges and triumphs of building a fully remote startup during pandemic times, including the excitement of growing from a handful of employees to a bustling company with 600,000 databases under management.

In this episode, we explore:

• From a startup idea to managing over 600K databases
• Building a remote-first culture and the power of annual off-site meetings
• Time travel… how Neon's unique storage system enables quick point-in-time recovery
• Upcoming Postgres features like asynchronous IO and multi-threading
• How understanding new algorithms can help database management

Links mentioned:

Neon

Heikki Linnakangas on GitHub

Heikki Linnakangas on LinkedIn

Joining Aiven in 2021, Francesco Tisiot works as a Field CTO and AI Lead. He serves as a technical advisor to clients and prospects, helping to meet their needs without the focus on sales, acting as a 'rented' CTO to provide expert guidance. Join us as we dive into Francesco's insightful perspectives on the Postgres community, where he challenges the notion of valuing years of experience over actual contributions and expertise.

In this episode, we explore:

• How Postgres is a core focus for Aiven
• Strategies for incorporating diverse viewpoints within the community
• The perception of Oracle within the Postgres community
• Benefits and challenges of using AI tools for database optimisation
• Acquisition of EverSQL by Aiven for integrating AI tools in SQL performance tuning

Links mentioned:

Aiven for AlloyDB Omni

Francesco Tisiot on X

Francesco Tisiot on LinkedIn

Today we’re joined by Ray Lane and DJ Patil from GreatPoint Ventures. Ray, known for his pivotal role at Oracle during its turnaround, shares his journey from the US Army to top tech positions and eventually co-founding GreatPoint Ventures, where he supports entrepreneurs. DJ Patil – investor, entrepreneur, and former U.S. Chief Data Scientist – joins to dive into the evolution of databases.

Tune in as they share their experiences with early databases such as Db2, the rise of Postgres, and current challenges in the tech landscape. With insights on leadership, community-driven development, and more, this episode is a must-listen for developers, entrepreneurs, and tech enthusiasts.

In this episode, we explore:

• The critical need for evolving roles within a company to foster growth
• Challenges of data distribution vs. keeping data centralized and speedy
• “Siding with the community” and enhancing user capabilities
• The risks of rushing towards generative AI, and the importance data hygiene and data culture

Links mentioned:

GreatPoint Ventures

DJ Patil on LinkedIn

Ray Lane on LinkedIn