For TigerGraph, the time is right for graph databases.
As organizations use more and more data from more sources, they need to discover the data points that are related and combine them to derive insights from that data. Traditionally, organizations have stored their data in relational databases, and while relational database strengths include accuracy and ease of use, one of its limitations is its lack of scalability.
However, graph databases have no problems with scaling.
Unlike relational databases, where data points can only be connected to one other data point at a time, graph databases allow data points to be connected to multiple other data points at the same time, so users can quickly identify relationships and gain insights.
Social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn use graph technology to connect people, and other common use cases for graph technology are supply chain management and fraud detection.
Founded in 2012 and based in Redwood City, California, TigerGraph is a graph database provider.
As the amount of data grows exponentially, companies will see the shortcomings of relational databases and seek the speed and size of graph databases, according to TigerGraph founder and CEO Yu Xu. As a result, the vendor has aggressive goals, both in terms of product development and sales growth.
To lead this product development, TigerGraph recently hired Jay Yu as the new Vice President, Product Innovation. Before that, he worked for Intuit for 18 years, where his last position was as a respected engineer.
Yu should not only develop the vendor’s product strategy. He will also oversee the vendor’s new innovation center in San Diego and be responsible for hiring approximately 100 people there.
Recently, Xu and Yu discussed their vision for TigerGraph, including financial goals to prepare for a potential IPO and technological goals like ease of use of graph technology. In addition, they talked about a paradigm shift from relational databases to graph databases and how TigerGraph can take advantage of the benefits.
Jay, what attracted you to TigerGraph after 18 years at Intuit?
Jay Yu
Jay Yu: For the past three years at Intuit, I’ve led a Knowledge Graph project. It was there that I developed my passion for graphs and was lucky enough to evaluate TigerGraph as a technology and to compare it with other providers. Over the years I’ve developed more passion for graphics and than the opportunity arose [to move to TigerGraph], I wanted to get in and focus on advancing graph technology and making an impact on the industry. I really believe in graphs and believe that there is a right way to make graphs.
The management team also drew me to TigerGraph. When I talked to Yu Xu, we had long discussions and shared our dreams and visions. The vision is that graph technology will conquer the whole world, whether people like it or not. We believe graph will replace relational technology in five to ten years. TigerGraph is at the forefront of this. After all, there is a big difference between startups and large, established companies. Intuit is great, but it can’t be that big [innovate] so fast. In terms of direct impact on technology, I can have a greater impact when I come to TigerGraph.
Yu Xu, did you previously have a product innovation director?
Yu Xu
Yu-Xu: Before that, we had product leadership, but not the position and responsibility that Jay will have. His position is about more than just the product. We had people planning a release, creating a roadmap, delivering customer training, and responding to customer feedback. He will do that. But he will also focus on innovation. He will do things around the graph interface, and we will also develop other applications for things like supply chain optimization and the customer journey. We want customers to see the value of graphs faster.
Jay, while you take on your new role, what is your vision for TigerGraph over the next few years?
Jay Yu: What I’m going to focus on are a couple of things. One is how can we make sure graph technology is easy to adopt so people don’t have to go through a huge learning curve? That means simplifying and streamlining it to make it accessible to normal developers and giving them tools they are familiar with integrated into the API interface like GraphQL or Power BI. This will help people see the benefits of graphing right away so they don’t have to study and experiment as long as they can before realizing the business value. That will be one of the top areas that I will focus on. That includes a tool layer that makes it very easy so that you don’t have to learn the graph query language and we can translate it into something you are familiar with. In our innovation pipeline, we are also thinking about combining graph technology with augmented intelligence, natural language processing and creating a low-code / no-code method for using graph technology.
We believe graph will replace relational technology in five to ten years.
Jay YuVice President for Product Innovation, TigerGraph
Both Yu Xu and I see the potential of graphs, but unfortunately this power is not being used because people do not understand it or are afraid of it. They are so familiar with relational technology, and we want to make it very easy for them to move into the future of the data platform that we call the future.
Yu Xu, same question – what is your vision for TigerGraph over the next few years?
Yu Xu: Our goal this year is to triple our sales. Another goal is to have recurring income of more than $ 100 million annually in less than three years. That will essentially prepare us for an IPO. That’s the financial side.
In terms of team growth, we’ve doubled the size of our team since the end of last year.
On the product side, we want to be the leading graph company. Our vision is that five years from now the new generation of developers will choose graph databases and use the graph query language as the de facto choice for developing new applications. Just as people learned Java and SQL, we want the new generation to use the Graph query language.
Now that we have the graph database to support the graph query language, there is no reason why the new generation cannot rely on graph databases. Graph is the next big thing for databases.
Jay, what trends are you seeing in analytics and data management, and how will these trends affect your plans for TigerGraph product development?
Jay Yu: The obvious trend is that data is growing exponentially. When you get overwhelmed with data, the relationship, connection, and rich semantics around data become more important. Graph is the way to represent this. Everything else cannot be scaled. People are hungry – they want more data and they want more insights. Things like data training, machine learning, and deep learning can only go so far. People are realizing that in order to overcome these limits, they need to extend machine learning and deep learning with what we call symbolic AI, and graph knowledge is a big part of that. That fits very well into TigerGraph’s vision.
We believe the graph will get the upper hand … because people will realize that this is the only natural way to represent their data and manipulate their data without moving their data.
Yu Xu, again the same question I asked Jay – what trends do you see in analytics and data management, and how will these trends affect your plans for TigerGraph product development?
Yu-Xu: Paradigm shifts don’t often happen in technology, but we’re fortunate to find ourselves at this stage where traditional relational databases will no longer be king. People are realizing the limitations of traditional relational databases, but there is a solution. The problem is that they can’t scale. When you have complex relationships and complex problems, relational databases are [struggle]. But graph databases are more powerful mathematically. Now, with more data, the timing is perfect for the graph. Plus, when it comes to digital transformation, people need more insight. You need to go beyond simple aggregation and simple reporting. You want to give customers the best trip, the best customer experience, and it’s all about connecting the data.
We build applications, create user interfaces and add machine learning capabilities through TigerGraph. We’re not going to be just a simple graph database company. Graph databases are as intuitive for as many uses as social networks, supply chains, power grids. We are in this unique phase where graph databases can combine data and deliver the insights people need.
While graph databases have the potential to become one of the next big things in data and analytics, what challenges does TigerGraph face?
Jay Yu: The overall challenge for the industry is the acceptance curve. Graph is so new and people are so used to relational technology. TigerGraph could be at the top, but we need the entire industry working together to expand the category and help people take the hurdle and be part of the future instead of living in the past.
Same question for you, Yu Xu?
Yu-Xu: The challenge is to have the right people at this stage. We don’t want to dilute talent or change the culture of a startup. We want to keep growing and expanding.
publisher’s Note: These questions and answers have been edited for clarity and conciseness.
