Databricks

Databricks is an American software company founded by the creators of Apache Spark. Databricks develops a web-based platform for working with Spark that provides automated cluster management and IPython-style notebooks. Key executives include CEO Ali Ghodsi and Executive Chair Ion Stoica. Competitors include cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services, Azure and Google Cloud, as well as other data and analytics companies like Snowflake and Cloudera.

Recent Articles about Databricks

Art by Clark Miiller, Google's Nano Banana.

Why Revenue Is Hopping at Data Observability Startups

By Alix Coutures · Aug 25, 2026 4:33pm PDT

A cluster of startups taking on database giants Snowflake, Databricks and Datadog are experiencing a revenue windfall thanks to rising adoption of AI agents. That could lead to a wave of startup dealmaking, from new investments to M&A. Earlier Tuesday, I reported that ClickHouse’s annual recurring revenue jumped 40% from May to $350... A cluster of startups taking on database giants Snowflake, Databricks and Datadog are...

Lowe's Senior Vice President Chandhu Nair. Photo courtesy of Lowe's

Lowe’s Says ‘Semantic’ Data is Boosting Its AI Agents

By Kevin McLaughlin · May 28, 2026 1:09pm PDT

Microsoft, Databricks, SAP and other AI software providers are fighting over control and access to enterprise data known as the semantic layer, as we reported last week. Semantic layers are essentially a data management tool that companies use to standardize definitions for their business metrics, such as revenue and customers, and are now... Microsoft, Databricks, SAP and other AI software providers are fighting over control and access...

Daniela Amodei, co-founder and president of Anthropic. Getty Images.

When Will We See a $100 Billion-Valuation Startup Go Public?

By Katie Roof · Dec 4, 2025 3:28pm PST

For years, there has been speculation about when $100 billion-plus private tech companies like Stripe, SpaceX and Databricks could go public. Now AI darlings OpenAI and Anthropic are on IPO watch. Like every company that takes on significant venture capital, both companies have had early conversations with financial institutions about the... For years, there has been speculation about when $100 billion-plus private tech companies like...

Photo by Getty Images

By Katie Roof and Cory Weinberg · Nov 18, 2025 3:01pm PST

Photo by Getty Images

Series Bubb-L

By Katie Roof and Cory Weinberg · Nov 18, 2025 3:01pm PST

Sometimes being a centicorn isn’t enough…especially when you’re worried the AI bubble could burst. Shortly after Databricks said in September it had raised more than $1 billion at a valuation of more than $100 billion, leaders at the database software provider told investors they were likely to raise even more soon, our sources tell us.As ... Sometimes being a centicorn isn’t enough…especially when you’re worried the AI bubble could...

Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi. Photo via AP

Pro Weekly: AI M&A Heats Up

By Akash Pasricha · May 16, 2025 8:00am PDT

One of the most exciting stories in tech lately is just four letters long: AI M&A. On Wednesday, Databricks said it was paying around $1 billion to buy Neon, a database software startup that can be used to develop AI agents. Then, on Thursday, Salesforce said it was buying AI agent developer Convergence. And OpenAI has reportedly been... One of the most exciting stories in tech lately is just four letters long: AI M&A. On...

ClickHouse CEO Aaron Katz. Image via YouTube. Art by Clark Miller.

Snowflake Challenger ClickHouse Targets $6 Billion Valuation

By Sri Muppidi · May 9, 2025 1:12pm PDT · 3 comments

Investors have reaped billions of dollars in gains from backing database software firms Snowflake and Databricks. Now venture capitalists are circling ClickHouse, a startup some investors believe could rival the incumbents, particularly as the rise of artificial intelligence increases demand for its database software. The startup is in... Investors have reaped billions of dollars in gains from backing database software firms Snowflake...

Art by Clark Miller

Where Is Venture Capital Going in 2025?

By Natasha Mascarenhas · Dec 26, 2024 2:00pm PST

Dealmakers, it’s been a history-making year. OpenAI raised $6.6 billion, the largest venture capital fundraise in history—only to have Databricks beat that record with its $10 billion haul in December. Then there were the acqui-hires, topped by Google paying $2.7 billion for the talent and technology behind Character AI.But the year wasn’t... Dealmakers, it’s been a history-making year. OpenAI raised $6.6 billion, the largest venture...

Eric Lefkofsky, founder and CEO of Tempus AI. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Pro Weekly: The IPO Pipeline Grows

By Akash Pasricha · May 31, 2024 8:00am PDT

Eric Lefkofsky, founder and CEO of Tempus AI. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Pro Weekly: The IPO Pipeline Grows

By Akash Pasricha · May 31, 2024 8:00am PDT

There’s still no sign of marquee private companies such as Stripe or Databricks listing shares on the stock market anytime soon. But slowly, the pipeline of initial public offering candidates is growing after a quiet few years, according to The Information’s Tech IPO Tracker. Our data suggests that 19 companies are likely to go public... There’s still no sign of marquee private companies such as Stripe or Databricks listing shares on...

Left to right: Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI; Ali Ghodsi, CEO of Databricks; and OpenAI director Adam D'Angelo; Photos via Getty

OpenAI Board’s Search for New Directors Includes a Rival

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Natasha Mascarenhas · Jan 16, 2024 2:22pm PST · 5 comments

Last month, OpenAI board director Adam D’Angelo called Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi to see if he might consider joining OpenAI’s board, according to a person familiar with the situation. That kind of request might not seem unusual—except that Ghodsi has positioned Databricks as a kind of anti-OpenAI through its business of helping... Last month, OpenAI board director Adam D’Angelo called Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi to see if...

Databricks co-founder and CEO Ali Ghodsi. Photo by Bloomberg.

Without IPOs, Some Startup Workers Pay Steep Price to Get Cash

By Cory Weinberg · Aug 11, 2023 6:00am PDT · 3 comments

Some Databricks employees and executives sitting on valuable stock options in the decade-old startup are considering going to extraordinary lengths to turn their private stakes into $30 million in cash. Investors say they have discussed a deal that would lend the employees money in exchange for a share in the proceeds of their stock if the... Some Databricks employees and executives sitting on valuable stock options in the decade-old...

Not Just Tiger: Coatue, Greenoaks Reduce Late-Stage Deals

By Mahira Dayal · Jun 24, 2022 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Last year, Tiger Global Management led a rush to back startups nearing initial public offerings, piling into late-stage funding rounds for banking app Chime, data firm Databricks and videoconferencing startup Hopin. New data shows just how much Tiger and other deep-pocketed investors have pulled back so far this year. Tiger’s participation... Last year, Tiger Global Management led a rush to back startups nearing initial public offerings,...

Databricks Chief People Officer Amy Reichanadter.

Databricks Pushes Ahead With Hiring Spree to Add 2,500 Workers This Year

By Mark Matousek · Jun 16, 2022 6:08am PDT · 2 comments

Databricks Chief People Officer Amy Reichanadter.

Q&A

Databricks Pushes Ahead With Hiring Spree to Add 2,500 Workers This Year

By Mark Matousek · Jun 16, 2022 6:08am PDT · 2 comments

Layoffs and hiring freezes are sweeping across Silicon Valley, but Databricks is still recruiting heavily. The data management company, most recently valued at $38 billion last August, is aiming to end the year with 5,500 employees, up from 3,000 at the start of 2022, Databricks Chief People Officer Amy Reichanadter said in an interview with The... Layoffs and hiring freezes are sweeping across Silicon Valley, but Databricks is still recruiting...

Snowflake CEO Frank Slootman (left) and Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi. Photos by Snowflake, Bloomberg. Collage by Mike Sullivan

Snowflake vs. Databricks: How Onetime Friends Became Fierce Cloud Rivals

By Kevin McLaughlin · Jan 26, 2022 6:00am PST · 2 comments

A few years ago, Snowflake and Databricks were up-and-coming cloud software startups that were so friendly, their sales teams regularly passed customer leads to each other. Both companies made unglamorous but critical components for businesses—from Shell Oil to DoorDash—that helped them boost sales or reduce costs by making better... A few years ago, Snowflake and Databricks were up-and-coming cloud software startups that were so...

Ali Ghodsi, co-founder and chief executive officer of Databricks. Photo by Bloomberg

The Big Interview

Databricks Dismisses Open Source Criticism of Amazon

By Kevin McLaughlin · Dec 27, 2019 7:00am PST · 2 comments

To some advocates of open source—the software created by squads of volunteer developers—Amazon has become a bogeyman because of the way it offers their free programs through its cloud computing arm, Amazon Web Services. Ali Ghodsi isn’t one of the Amazon haters. Ghodsi is the CEO of Databricks, a six-year-old startup that... To some advocates of open source—the software created by squads of volunteer...