via 451 CAOS Theory and AlwaysOn

First time I am reading some explanations (apart from the $1bn deal ;-) coming directly from Marten Mickos, MySQL‘s CEO, concerning their decision to sold out to SUN, instead of going for an IPO.

The fact that it all happened so quickly makes it obvious that Sun’s and MySQL’s organizations have a cultural affinity that enables such fast convergence on a major strategic deal. What was it that justified the deal to start with?
Here is my entirely personal view of the factors that made the deal happen:

1. Jonathan Schwartz is a brilliant CEO and he has a great team. Who wouldn’t want to work for him?
2. Sun has always had the same focus as MySQL on the networked world. Focus and alignment!
3. Sun has become the world’s strongest proponent of free and open source software. We are happy to be part of that!
4. Sun has changed its strategy to include partnerships with former competitors. Hey, coopetition is what we always did!
5. Sun has never stopped innovating or stopped investing in technology. Impressive!
6. Sun has a huge field operation that can bring MySQL to more customers faster. Thank you!
7. MySQL would be a great complementary fit in Sun’s product portfolio. We like being useful! We love being uniquely useful!
8. Sun’s corporate culture is among the best a startup can ask for. We can work from home! We can innovate. We are thrilled!
9. Sun is a bold and fun disruptor again, and we see a huge upside in its strategy. I am not saying that success is a given, but I am saying that Sun’s new strategy is one of the most exciting this industry has to offer. We are all in!
10. Sun was really eager to get us on board and we were treated with the greatest respect from the start. (And I hope we did the same in return)

In light of the above, the decision ultimately was easy. Initially it was not easy at all, because we all had such a strong commitment to go public and continue life as an independent company. It was hard work to change our minds. But once we saw that within Sun we would get the same benefits as going public, but with more resources and operational backing, we realized that Sun was for us like an IPO, only better.

Comprehensive, pragmatic and courageous decision!