AWS agrees to acquire DuckLabs while DuckDB remains independent
AWS signed an agreement to acquire DuckLabs, but the open-source DuckDB project will remain under its independent foundation and MIT license.
Amazon has signed a definitive agreement for AWS to acquire DuckLabs, the Amsterdam company founded by DuckDB creators Hannes Mühleisen and Mark Raasveldt. The transaction is expected to close after customary conditions are met. Until then, it remains a proposed acquisition rather than a completed transfer, and Amazon has not disclosed financial terms.
AWS is acquiring the company and its engineering team, not the DuckDB open-source project. DuckDB will remain free under the MIT license and governed by the independent nonprofit DuckDB Foundation. Mühleisen and Raasveldt are expected to continue directing the project’s technical work after joining AWS. Amazon also says nothing changes for DuckDB users in the meantime.
DuckDB has become popular for running analytical queries directly on local files and within applications, avoiding the overhead of a separate database server for many tasks. AWS and DuckLabs have worked together since 2024, giving the parties an existing technical relationship.
Source: About Amazon ↗