Thoughts on possible implications for users in foreseeable future? We built a lot using dbt and can't really think of going back or switching to alternatives
Kiro•1h ago
What's the lock-in?
globular-toast•1h ago
I'm wondering too. We run dbt on-prem. Worst that could happen is we don't get any more free updates. But we have the software and it will continue to run.
hn1986•1h ago
the concern is that dbt-core will become stagnant.
mjirv•58m ago
It basically already has since they started developing dbt Fusion, so in that respect this probably doesn’t change much.
I expect they’ll keep developing Fusion but possibly as even more of a commercial-only offering than it already was.
globular-toast•40m ago
What's the problem specifically? Are you banking on some future features? Can't fix the bugs yourself? Worried it won't be compatible with future data warehouses?
I know people don't like it these days, but you can just continue to run old software.
0cf8612b2e1e•1h ago
The cloud component is probably sticky if you have come to rely on those parts.
bootsmann•1h ago
Are you using their cloud offering or just the software itself?
pawelduda•47m ago
Just the software
rockostrich•1h ago
Fivetran isn't really much of a transformation layer so this is likely just a move to lock-in customers of both companies by upselling an ingestion/transformation layer to existing customers.
The bigger question mark to me is that Fivetran recently acquired Tobiko, the company behind a dbt competitor SQLMesh. The Tobiko team said their focus has been on dbt-compatibility because a lot of Fivetran customers use dbt for their transformation layer. I fear it may have just been a way to get rid of competition leading up to this deal. I can't imagine Fivetran spent a ton of money just to have 2 products that do very similar things.
We use both open-source SQLMesh as well as their cloud offering Tobiko Cloud. Following the acquisition, we were annoyed that focus was going to go to dbt compatibility because there was a bunch of stuff on their roadmap that would help us that was now deprioritized. Thankfully, they still offer great support to us and delivered a few features that have given us some quality of life improvements. With this announcement, I'm worried we're going to end up being forced to migrate to dbt...
RainyDayTmrw•1h ago
This smells like self-dealing on the part of A16z.
jonas21•1h ago
How so? It sounds like a pretty normal merger to me.
guywithahat•1h ago
Maybe, but now they could IPO confidentially as a tech company with high revenue with a multi-billion dollar valuation, which sort of sounds like their end goal
swyx•39m ago
those are heavy accusations to toss around and that the title would like you to conclude, but doesnt pass the basic smell check of fivetran's founders still having control of the company. dbt was the hottest company in the data world 3 years ago and is valuable.
BoorishBears•27m ago
You're so close to the subject of the accusation by association, that your commentary actually makes their accusation stronger.
drob518•39m ago
That was the first thought I had, too. When the dot-com bubble burst, every VC was slapping companies together to try to forestall the black mark of having a “failure” and balance sheet write off that they would have to show the LPs (investors) in the next LP meeting. It got so bad that someone described it as “tying together two rocks and seeing if they will float.” Needless to say, most didn’t. So, this makes me wonder if we’re seeing the first signs of the bursting of the AI bubble which we all know we’re in the middle of. Maybe it’s legit and there is real “synergy” or whatever, but the fact that this is two companies within the same VC portfolio makes it suspect.
And paying to eliminate competition along with way...
swyx•37m ago
> Data startups Fivetran and dbt Labs will merge in an all-stock deal, creating a combined data infrastructure company with nearly $600 million in annual revenue, the two companies told Reuters.
pawelduda•1h ago
Kiro•1h ago
globular-toast•1h ago
hn1986•1h ago
mjirv•58m ago
I expect they’ll keep developing Fusion but possibly as even more of a commercial-only offering than it already was.
globular-toast•40m ago
I know people don't like it these days, but you can just continue to run old software.
0cf8612b2e1e•1h ago
bootsmann•1h ago
pawelduda•47m ago
rockostrich•1h ago
The bigger question mark to me is that Fivetran recently acquired Tobiko, the company behind a dbt competitor SQLMesh. The Tobiko team said their focus has been on dbt-compatibility because a lot of Fivetran customers use dbt for their transformation layer. I fear it may have just been a way to get rid of competition leading up to this deal. I can't imagine Fivetran spent a ton of money just to have 2 products that do very similar things.
We use both open-source SQLMesh as well as their cloud offering Tobiko Cloud. Following the acquisition, we were annoyed that focus was going to go to dbt compatibility because there was a bunch of stuff on their roadmap that would help us that was now deprioritized. Thankfully, they still offer great support to us and delivered a few features that have given us some quality of life improvements. With this announcement, I'm worried we're going to end up being forced to migrate to dbt...