MongoDB World 2022 marked a return to in-person gatherings after two years of remote events, drawing nearly 3,000 attendees who were captivated by innovations such as Queryable Encryption, which allows for expressive queries on encrypted data. The event emphasized the pivotal role of developers in driving organizational success, with MongoDB CEO Dev Ittycheria highlighting how the company's products aim to enhance developer productivity. The shift of data to the cloud was another focal point, underscored by a session on connecting distributed data with MongoDB, while the complexities of cloud security were addressed in discussions about securing applications in multi-cloud environments. The conference also featured insights from futurist Ray Kurzweil, who predicted an AI would pass a Turing test by 2029, and attracted interest from potential new users of MongoDB exploring its capabilities. The event underscored the value of in-person interactions, with MongoDB CTO Mark Porter drawing crowds, and it highlighted product innovations like Atlas Serverless databases aimed at reducing developer friction. Additionally, MongoDB announced a leadership transition, with Dev Ittycheria stepping down as CEO in November 2025, to be succeeded by Chirantan “CJ” Desai, who brings significant experience in scaling companies. This transition is framed as a strategic move to position MongoDB for its next phase of growth amid the rise of AI and data-intensive applications.