> I think this can work, but I think the unpleasant truth is that the developer tools market--which is certainly what RethinkDB was in, and which Sandstorm was certainly at least adjacent to--is a mostly lousy place to be in.

I think it is difficult to convince devs to pay for tools given the plethora of free options available. It's a stupid mindset even I suffer from, and I think only heavy marketing will work to convince devs of the advantages of a particular paid tool. I was convinced for Sandstorm, but didn't have a project I could use it for just yet, but I hadn't even heard of RethinkDB until a week before they announced the shut down.