The last year of DuckDB enhancements feel like the shift from in-process execution engine (which it is phenomenal at) to an engine that can serve as the foundation of a cloud data warehouse. I know the founders were reticent about not wanting to build that, but I have a feeling it is in the works.
UPDATE: Removed uninformed comment about the relationship between DuckDB and MotherDuck.
I've been using MotherDuck as a data warehouse for some time now. No regrets.