Hurd and Oracle

I first become aware of Oracle when my dad sent me an article on Safra Catz, CFO and one of Larry Ellison's lieutenants. I immediately fell in love all three: Oracle, Catz, and Ellison. They worked hard, though hard, and were ruthless in the expansion of their business. Hostile takeover after hostile takeover diversified their core business and poached potential competition.

Now Oracle jumped into my mind again by hiring Mark Hurd. As this article points out, it's an astute move. Hurd comes from HP, a main competitor. And even though many decry executive salaries and bonuses, executives like Hurd are prime examples of why they're so valuable to companies. Hurd has made a career leading huge companies, jockeying for market share, and commandeering change within typically stagnant organizations. Oracle saw a market inefficiency after Hurd's suspect expense accounts and subsequent resignation from Hewlett Packard. It's that take-no-prisoners attitude that drove Oracle to #105 on the latest Fortune 500, and what will continue to drive their growth. Kudos!