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AWS to acquire DuckLabs to expand DuckDB data stack

The deal, expected to close in early September, will keep the core development team in Amsterdam while maintaining open-source licensing for the Duck Stack.

The short version

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS) has agreed to acquire DuckLabs, the company behind the DuckDB analytical database.
  • The acquisition is scheduled to become effective in early September 2026, with the team remaining in Amsterdam.
  • DuckDB, DuckLake, Quack, and other Duck Stack projects will remain free and open source under the MIT license, overseen by the nonprofit DuckDB Foundation.

Key facts

  • DuckLabs announced it is joining AWS in an acquisition expected to take effect in early September 2026.[Hacker News]
  • The DuckLabs team consists of over 30 people based in Amsterdam.[Hacker News]
  • The open-source Duck Stack components, including DuckDB, DuckLake, and Quack, will remain available under the MIT license.[Hacker News]
  • The nonprofit DuckDB Foundation will continue stewardship of the open-source projects and plans to establish a technical advisory board.[Hacker News]
  • DuckDB sees over one million downloads per day.[Hacker News]

What remains uncertain

  • Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed in the announcement.[Hacker News]

Sources