I an not a fan of Larry Ellison's big, horizontal acquisitions (PeopleSoft, Siebel). I disagree with him about industry consolidation. Every acquisition he makes is causing CIOs I deal with cringe and resolve to buy as little as possible from Oracle.
But I have to give credit to Larry for bringing a spark to the enterprise software industry. He is putting big bets while SAP, Microsoft and IBM mostly make tactical moves. I may not agree with his moves but you have to admire someone with cohones big enough to not just talk, but actually walk the talk.
At Gartner, I wrote a trilogy of research notes on Oracle Applications in the 1990s - they were titled:
- The Prodigal Prince Matures
- Planning the Palace Coup
- Not Ready for the Throne
A decade later I am ready to proclaim him King. A King with many enemies - but a King nonetheless.
