Databases and Engineering with @PlanetScale CEO - Sam Lambert
Sun Nov 16 2025
For memberships: join this channel as a member here:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_mGuY4g0mggeUGM6V1osdA/joinExploring Cloud Databases, Scalability, and Simple Engineering with Sam Lambert, CEO of PlanetScaleIn this episode of The Geek Narrator podcast, we welcome Sam Lambert, CEO and Co-Founder of PlanetScale, known for creating the world's fastest and most scalable cloud database. Sam shares his insights on databases, operational excellence, and simple engineering. We discuss topics such as scalability, Postgres versus MySQL, and replication. Sam also talks about handling complexity in engineering, the unique features of Vites, and how PlanetScale achieves high availability. Don't miss this deep dive into the future of cloud databases. Like, share, and subscribe to support the channel!Chapters:00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview01:13 Meet Sam Lambert: Background and Career02:42 Balancing Work and Social Media05:48 The Philosophy of Simple Engineering14:21 The Slotted Counter Pattern at GitHub18:27 Postgres vs MySQL: Design Flaws and Philosophical Differences28:58 Sharding and Scaling with Vitess37:01 Database Branching and Schema Changes38:50 Common Practices in Startups39:07 Challenges with Data Branching40:45 Legal and Ethical Considerations42:31 Staging Environments vs. Dev Branches45:26 Trade-offs in Cloud Databases52:41 Replication and Durability01:00:02 Ensuring High Availability01:08:04 Backup Strategies and Testing01:10:41 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsLearn about PlanetScale: https://planetscale.com/For memberships: join this channel as a member here:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_mGuY4g0mggeUGM6V1osdA/joinDon't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more insights!=============================================================================Like building stuff? Try out CodeCrafters and build amazing real world systems like Redis, Kafka, Sqlite. Use the link below to signup and get 40% off on paid subscription.https://app.codecrafters.io/join?via=geeknarrator=============================================================================Database internals series: https://youtu.be/yV_Zp0Mi3xsPopular playlists:Realtime streaming systems: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4se-mAKKoVOs3VcaP71X_LA-Software Engineering: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sf6By03bot5BhKoMgxDUU17Distributed systems and databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sfLDUnjBJXJGFhhz94jDd_dModern databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4scSeZAsCUXijtnfW5ARlrsNStay Curios! Keep Learning!
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For memberships: join this channel as a member here:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_mGuY4g0mggeUGM6V1osdA/joinExploring Cloud Databases, Scalability, and Simple Engineering with Sam Lambert, CEO of PlanetScaleIn this episode of The Geek Narrator podcast, we welcome Sam Lambert, CEO and Co-Founder of PlanetScale, known for creating the world's fastest and most scalable cloud database. Sam shares his insights on databases, operational excellence, and simple engineering. We discuss topics such as scalability, Postgres versus MySQL, and replication. Sam also talks about handling complexity in engineering, the unique features of Vites, and how PlanetScale achieves high availability. Don't miss this deep dive into the future of cloud databases. Like, share, and subscribe to support the channel!Chapters:00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview01:13 Meet Sam Lambert: Background and Career02:42 Balancing Work and Social Media05:48 The Philosophy of Simple Engineering14:21 The Slotted Counter Pattern at GitHub18:27 Postgres vs MySQL: Design Flaws and Philosophical Differences28:58 Sharding and Scaling with Vitess37:01 Database Branching and Schema Changes38:50 Common Practices in Startups39:07 Challenges with Data Branching40:45 Legal and Ethical Considerations42:31 Staging Environments vs. Dev Branches45:26 Trade-offs in Cloud Databases52:41 Replication and Durability01:00:02 Ensuring High Availability01:08:04 Backup Strategies and Testing01:10:41 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsLearn about PlanetScale: https://planetscale.com/For memberships: join this channel as a member here:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_mGuY4g0mggeUGM6V1osdA/joinDon't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more insights!=============================================================================Like building stuff? Try out CodeCrafters and build amazing real world systems like Redis, Kafka, Sqlite. Use the link below to signup and get 40% off on paid subscription.https://app.codecrafters.io/join?via=geeknarrator=============================================================================Database internals series: https://youtu.be/yV_Zp0Mi3xsPopular playlists:Realtime streaming systems: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4se-mAKKoVOs3VcaP71X_LA-Software Engineering: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sf6By03bot5BhKoMgxDUU17Distributed systems and databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sfLDUnjBJXJGFhhz94jDd_dModern databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4scSeZAsCUXijtnfW5ARlrsNStay Curios! Keep Learning!