MariaDB didn't "strangle off" MySQL. The latter is still significantly more popular (probably 10 times as much, if not more) if you look outside our HN/Linux bubble. It also had one of the best releases ever under Oracle's guidance back in 2018, many years after the split, when very few of the original developers were still at Oracle. Meanwhile, MariaDB development slowed down significantly over the past few years as they're having financial problems.
(You might counter that by saying that the last MySQL release was in 2018, but it's not really comparable: Oracle does all of its development behind closed doors and then does major code dumps when it's ready. MariaDB prefer shipping small releases every 6 months or so.)
(You might counter that by saying that the last MySQL release was in 2018, but it's not really comparable: Oracle does all of its development behind closed doors and then does major code dumps when it's ready. MariaDB prefer shipping small releases every 6 months or so.)