I know this is not the point, but... Michael Stonebraker is an adjunct? I mean I guess at this stage in his life what does he need the money for, but you'd think they'd give him like a "visiting professor" title or something.
Adjunct mostly just means "collaborating with us", it's not a term of derision.
If he got a fancier title they'd probably have to commit to more interaction, and heavier obligations, as would he. (And not a single soul at 80 years old is likely to want to take on some committee service for a university program...)
Working with companies to try and recover after they bought one of the databases that are incredibly overhyped and under-delivering has been a constant in my career.
