Well that depends on how Ted presented it, doesn't it? If he says "Let's try this other database instead of MySQL" may turn out different than if he says "Let's try this other version of MySQL put out by MariaDB".

In the end it comes down to having data to support your position though. If MariaDB goes down, and you can't answer whether it would have happened the same in MySQL, then maybe you shouldn't be making database suggestions. If it wouldn't have happened to MySQL, well then people were right to be wary, weren't they?