News

MySQL boss leaves Sun

The database guru becomes the latest high-profile figure to leave the Sun in the last few months.

9 Feb 2009

Marten Mickos, the chief executive of MySQL, is leaving Sun Microsystems.

A Sun spokeswoman confirmed his departure late on Friday, only months after Mickos became senior vice president of Sun's database group when the company bought MySQL last year.

The database's creator, Michael Widenius, said in a blog post that Mickos had resigned because he was dissatisfied with Sun's development of MySQL.

Mickos' departure follows that of MySQL co-founder David Axmark who left just after the acquisition, citing the rigid corporate life as contributing to his decision.

Sun executive Karen Tegan Padir will now take over Mickos' duties. She is also vice president of the newly formed MySQL and Software Infrastructure group. Padir's responsibilities also include the Glassfish application server, identity management, service oriented architecture (SOA) and the Java Enterprise System.

Sun said in a statement that the corporate shakeup "puts MySQL into the mainstream of software at Sun" and will help the company form "even tighter linkages between all software properties".

Mickos' biography has been updated to say he will work as an "open source strategist" until the end of Sun's current quarter.

He had not added any further comment on his reasons for leaving at the time of writing.