MySQL AB
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | Michael Widenius, David Axmark, Allan Larsson |
| Defunct | February 26, 2008 |
| Fate | Acquired by Sun Microsystems |
| Successor | Sun Microsystems (later Oracle Corporation) |
| Headquarters | Uppsala and Cupertino , Sweden and United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Mårten Mickos (CEO from 2001) |
| Products | MySQL, MySQL Cluster, MySQL Enterprise |
Number of employees | 400 |
| Parent | Sun Microsystems (2008–2010), Oracle Corporation (2010–) |
| Website | www |
MySQL AB was a software enterprise originating from Sweden, established in 1995 and later purchased by Sun Microsystems in 2008; subsequently, Sun Microsystems was acquired by Oracle Corporation in 2010. The company was the creator of MySQL, a prominent relational database management system, as well as associated offerings such as MySQL Cluster. Its operations were headquartered in both Uppsala, Sweden, and Cupertino, California, with several additional offices located throughout Europe and Japan.
The workforce comprised roughly 400 employees distributed over 25 countries, with nearly 70% engaged in remote work, highlighting its international and flexible employment strategy. MySQL AB’s solutions played a key role within the LAMP stack, which includes Linux, Apache, and PHP. By the year 2004, the company had surpassed 5 million installations of MySQL and recorded over 10 million downloads of its products, demonstrating extensive adoption in the market.
Revenue
MySQL AB is acknowledged as a forerunner in the "second generation" open source commercial model, defined by its use of dual licensing. The company distributed MySQL freely under the open source GPL, while also providing proprietary licenses to customers requiring closed-source integration, such as embedding MySQL within proprietary applications. Income was primarily generated through licensing fees, support contracts, consulting engagements, training programs, and certification services. Furthermore, MySQL Enterprise—a subscription-based offering—was sold directly and via partners including Dell, HP, and Novell.
History
- 1995 – Established by Michael Widenius, David Axmark, and Allan Larsson
- 2001 – Appointment of Mårten Mickos as CEO; first venture capital investment in Scandinavia
- 2003 – Second round of funding led by Benchmark Capital; collaboration with SAP SE granting commercial rights to MaxDB; acquisition of Ericsson’s Alzato division
- 2005 – Introduction of MySQL Network subscription service (later rebranded as MySQL Enterprise)
- 2006 – Raised $18.5 million in Series C funding led by Institutional Venture Partners, with participation from Intel Capital, Red Hat, and SAP Ventures
- 2008 – Purchased by Sun Microsystems for an estimated $1 billion; transaction completed on February 26
- 2010 – Acquisition of Sun Microsystems by Oracle Corporation