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A new chapter at MariaDB: Joining the Products Team

·328 words·2 mins
Alejandro Duarte
Author
Alejandro Duarte
Alejandro Duarte is a Software Engineer, published author, and award winner. He currently works for MariaDB plc as a Developer Relations Engineer. Starting his coding journey at 13 with BASIC on a rudimentary black screen, Alejandro quickly transitioned to C, C++, and Java during his academic years at the National University of Colombia. Relocating first to the UK and then to Finland, Alejandro deepened his involvement in the open-source community. He’s a recognized figure in Java circles, credited with articles and videos amassing millions of views, and presentations at international events.
Table of Contents

A sea lion (MariaDB’s mascot)

Over the past almost two years, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to work with the Marketing team at MariaDB plc as a Developer Advocate. Interacting with the developer community, diving deep into the technology, speaking at international conferences, writing articles, and recording videos have been a lot of fun! I’m truly grateful for all the connections I’ve made, the feedback received, and the lessons learned during this journey.

However, the ever-evolving database landscape and the vibrant world of MariaDB have invited me to take a new direction. Today, I’m thrilled to announce my transition to the Products team at MariaDB plc as a Developer Relations Engineer.

What does this mean?
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While I’ll still be actively involved with our developer community, my focus will shift more towards the technical intricacies of our products and how they are used in the software development industry. I’ll be working closer with our Products and Engineering teams, ensuring that the community’s voice is represented in our products’ lifecycle. Expect the usual good stuff (technical content), a refocus on example applications, and the addition of a direct channel to shape the future of MariaDB available to you.

Why the move?
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It’s not only me who is moving. The Developer Relations team as a whole is moving under the Products organization. This only makes sense–we want to listen to what developers say and focus on improving our products. We believe this move will allow us to create a solid bridge between developers and the people who build MariaDB and surrounding products (like MaxScale, oh boy, I love MaxScale, it’s so cool!).

A heartfelt thank you to the Marketing team. I’ll continue to work with you, especially on the webinars front. And a warm hello to the Products team – I’m excited to start this new chapter with you!

To all the developers, customers, and partners – bring your feedback on! Help us shape the future of MariaDB. You know where to find me.

Enjoyed this post? I can help your team implement similar solutions—contact me to learn more.

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