Bum's Rushed HP CEO Reportedly In Talks With Larry Ellison About Joining Oracle.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Mark Hurd, HP's controversial ex-CEO, is talking to Larry Ellison, Oracle's indefatigable capo dei capi, about joining the Oracle executive team. The report stated, "The exact nature of Mr. Hurd's new job couldn't be learned. The people familiar with the matter cautioned that talks weren't complete and it was possible Mr. Hurd's hiring could still fall through. Oracle's board still needs to approve any appointment, they added." Yeah, yeah, sure. (
http://tinyurl.com/2cqonuy)
First, Hurd is a guy who has to run something big and there are only a few such possibilities at Oracle, second, Ellison is a guy who always plays to win and usually gets what he wants, and third, since when does Larry's board tell him, "No"? This doesn't seem like all that much of a cliff-hanger, really. As long as the job reports to Ellison and comes with a ton of authority and autonomy (and cash, of course), Hurd's probably in. But why does Ellison want him?
The story is being met with a lot of unsatisfying speculation. Some dwells on the similarities of the two men, as if that explains something, and the rest goes quickly to possible palace intrigue, for which Oracle is justifiably famous.
The two guys are not exactly from different planets. There's the sex - Mark recently and Larry long ago have both had to contend with dodgy harassment accusations from female employees to whom they had previously been close. There's the money - Mark's HP pay package was breathtaking and the parachute with which he bailed was pure platinum, and we all know that Larry has more money than Oprah. There's the power - Mark made a lot of big things happen at HP and Larry made Oracle happen and made it a big thing. But, similarities notwithstanding, this is an executive hire, not a frat pledge.
A number of pundits are assuming that Ellison may be looking for a new president, and that would be the only job below CEO that Hurd would consider taking. Given Oracle's history in this regard, where defenestration has been a common means of exit for presidents and heirs apparent, that prospect is succulent chum for the drama sharks.
But, presently Oracle has two very talented, symbiotic co-presidents, Chuck Phillips and Safra Catz, who have performed very effectively together for several years now; Chuck drives sales, marketing and M&A, and Safra runs finance, HR and operations - Mr. Outside and Ms. Inside. Hurd isn't going to be anybody's co-anything, neither Phillips nor Catz is likely to accept a demotion, and the idea that Ellison would try to replace both Phillips and Catz with Hurd seems absurd.
Why isn't everybody talking about Sun Microsystems? When Oracle, a $20B+ software company with rising revenue and static stock, acquired Sun, a $10B+ hardware company with static revenue and declining stock, they bought themselves a bag of potential and a box of problems. There are cash cows to be milked and sacred cows to be gored, and Hurd's accomplishments at HP are are vivid evidence of his zest and aptitude for both.
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