Peter
Zaitsev

Founder | Open-Source Advocate | Technologist | Boards Member, Advisor & Mentor

MySQL Rockstar 2022 Award Highload++ Award 2019

State of Open Con'23 Speaker

Introduction

Technology has an amazing ability to impact lives, and I've been drawn to it for as long as I can remember. Since my earliest days, my passion has been to understand how things work, build them, and make them better.

Now, as a published author, speaker, board member of several organizations, and ex-CEO of the globally recognized open-source company Percona, that same vision of making things work better underscores all I do.

Whenever I speak at an industry event, mentor board members, or advise customers, I share best practices, use cases, and industry trends that deliver smarter alternatives for everyone. That's the promise of open source.

/* Peter Zaitsev */

I can help you

How? you might ask. Simple. By introducing you to the wide world of open source and databases. Something else in addition to open source and databases? I will show you ways to grow your business using leading tech trends. These are my fields of expertise, where I have excelled for more than 20 years.

You will learn from my talks, keynotes, articles, interviews. Whether your business is long established or a startup, I will provide you with valuable information on how to improve your operations and bottom line. I have a successful track record in doing so for my businesses. I can do the same for yours.


Talks and Keynotes

Public speaking is my passion. Open source, databases, growing business with tech trends are all my areas of expertise. I tailor my talks to your needs.

Listen to a sampling
Articles, Interviews, Expert Comments

For all journalists out there, make me your go-to expert on technology (open source, databases, Linux, etc.) and entrepreneurship. I will fill you in on what’s happening now in these fields and what’s to come. Expect on-point quotes and even story ideas that will make your editors happy.

Contact me here
Investor, Mentor,
Advisor

Sometimes the hardest part of advising, mentoring and investing is finding profitable ventures and worthwhile projects. I’ve done that repeatedly. I am currently serving on the advisory boards of several tech startups and am ready to help your tech business grow, too.

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In the media

High performance MySQL: Optimization, Backups, and Replication, 3rd Edition

By Baron Schwartz, Peter Zaitsev, Vadim Tkachenko | Released first March 2012

#5 in Computer Performance Optimization category on Amazon

› Buy on Amazon › Buy from O’Reilly

Upcoming events

9-12 November

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America brings together the maintainers, platform teams, AI infrastructure engineers, and end users solving the hardest production problems across Kubernetes, cloud native, and AI. Learn how teams are scheduling GPUs, serving models, operating agent workloads, securing systems, controlling cost, and building reliable platforms at scale.
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18-21 November

Nerdearla México 2026, Mexico City

Nerdearla started in 2014 with 60 people in Buenos Aires. Today it brings together over 50,000 participants a year across its four editions — Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Spain — with free streaming reaching more than 50 countries. In 2025, across the Argentina and Spain editions, more than 12,000 people attended in person and 35,000 joined online. Admission has been 100% free since day one: no paid tickets, no premium tiers, no paywalls. Every talk is published publicly, in a library of more than 1,300 recorded sessions. In 2023, Argentina's Ministry of Culture officially declared Nerdearla of Cultural Interest for its impact on democratizing access to technology knowledge.
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30-4 November-December

AWS: Re:invent Las Vegas

New services are launching. Architectures are shifting. The decisions you make next matter. From startups to enterprises, AWS re:Invent is where the cloud and AI community comes to work through what's next. Together. Over 2,200 sessions, 70% of them interactive. Experts who share what worked and what didn't. Whatever's stalling your next move: an architecture decision, a migration tradeoff, token spend, security risk. This is where you work through it, alongside cross-industry experts and peers from around the globe.
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My Recent Blogs

Here’s the Message I Sent Welcoming Percona’s New CEO Peter Farkas
10/08/2025
First, I want to give a big thank-you to Bennie Grant, who has been our Interim CEO over the past few months. Stepping into the CEO role is never easy — and doing it on an interim basis can be even tougher. Bennie, we’re grateful for the way you’ve helped steer us through this transition […]
GeeksGoPeaks Svalbard Expedition 2025
08/26/2025
    What is Svalbard anyway ? Svalbard is an archipelago off the north coast of Norway and is a very interesting place from many angles. It is the northernmost place you can easily get to – a regularly scheduled 3-hour flight from Oslo takes you to Longyearbyen, the capital of the Archipelago, and the […]
Typical Mistakes in Open Source Sales
08/20/2025
One key way Open Source Software is different from classic Commercial software is that not every user is going to be a customer. In fact, for most successful Open Source projects, the number of users and uses is orders of magnitude more than the number of customers and “paid” deployments. You may argue Commercial Open […]
Exploring the Keane Wonder Mine
08/12/2025
The Keane Wonder Mine is a gorgeous abandoned mine in Death Valley. If you’re looking for something more than natural sights and want to be away from the crowds, this is an absolutely fantastic location to visit. The mine was closed in 1912, yet because of Death Valley’s unique dry climate, it is preserved much […]

Work hard.
Play hard.
That’s my credo.

When it comes to playing, you’ll find me running more than six miles a day. That is when I’m not climbing Mount Everest or Pakistan’s K2.

Sports and adventures are the sources of my energy and physical wellness. I encourage people to find their source of energy in activities they like. That’s why I’ve founded the Percona Adventure Team for Perconians and am an ambassador of the Run with Percona Club, open to everyone.

Get in Touch

I don’t believe in living a static life, staying in a rut, doing the same things over and over. I am constantly seeking new opportunities with the challenges they bring. I look for endeavors that provide win-win cooperation.

Contact me if you would like to work with me. If you have the right project, I definitely want to work with you.

Get in Touch