# From BigQuery to MotherDuck: Reinventing the Data Warehouse with Jordan Tigani

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/thrivecast-6591286/from-bigquery-to-motherduck-reinventing-the-data-warehouse-with-jordan-tigani
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/thrivecast-6591286/from-bigquery-to-motherduck-reinventing-the-data-warehouse-with-jordan-tigani.md
Podcast: [Thrivecast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/thrivecast-6591286)
Published: 2025-07-12T02:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.hybridgtm.com/p/from-bigquery-to-motherduck-reinventing
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/166595835/367c11864a42d848a0a0cf782ccde11c.mp3
Processing state: processed
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/thrivecast-6591286/episodes/from-bigquery-to-motherduck-reinventing-the-data-warehouse-with-jordan-tigani
Duration seconds: 2879

## Resource

In this episode, we chat with Jordan Tigani, co-creator of BigQuery and now CEO of MotherDuck, a next-gen, serverless analytics platform built on top of DuckDB. Jordan walks us through his journey from leading engineering and product at Google to building a lean, developer-first company that’s challenging the assumptions of modern data infrastructure. We explore his pivot from enterprise-heavy go-to-market models to a bold product-led growth (PLG) approach, his views on usage-based pricing, open-source collaboration, and what AI hasn't done for the data world—yet. Listen now on Apple , Spotify , Castbox , Google and YouTube . Most big data workloads are actually start small. You just don’t need massive infrastructure to do great analytics. — Jordan Tigani , CEO, MotherDuck Key Insights * Big Data is Overrated: Most companies don't actually need "big data" infrastructure. The vast majority of workloads, even at large organizations, are run over small data. * Why MotherDuck Exists: Inspired by the elegance and power of DuckDB, Jordan saw an opportunity for a cloud-native, serverless experience that could scale down as easily as it scales up. * The PLG vs. Sales Balance: While MotherDuck began with a PLG motion, Jordan shares why they now employ a hybrid strategy—PLG to drive adoption, sales to deepen engagement and expansion. * Open Source Partnerships Done Right: DuckDB Labs owns a co-founder equity stake in MotherDuck, ensuring tight alignment and seamless collaboration—without code forking or IP conflicts. * Usage-Based Pricing = Real-Time Value Alignment: Tying revenue to actual usage helps MotherDuck scale quickly, but also makes forecasting tricky. Jordan discusses how they manage this trade-off. * AI Hasn’t Changed Everything (Yet): Despite the AI boom, Jordan bel…

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