Oracle and HP Reunite, Settle Lawsuit over Mark Hurd’s New Ties with Larry Ellison
The legal battle between Hewlett-Packard and Oracle has been settled, meaning the two companies can get back to their strategery. If you recall the dramatic sequence of events surrounding Mark Hurd’s departure from HP, the former CEO spurred a lawsuit when he accepted the co-President position at Oracle.
Trade secrets and counter-lawsuit aside, Oracle and HP are back to being friends. At least for the time being. Their long-term partnership lays in the balance, as HP regains its footing after its major executive shake-up and subsequent ship-jumping to frienemy lines. Both companies offered statements regarding their reunion:
“HP and Oracle have been important partners for more than 20 years and are committed to working together to provide exceptional products and service to our customers,” said Cathie Lesjak, chief financial officer and interim chief executive officer, HP. “We look forward to collaborating with Oracle in the future.”
“Oracle and HP will continue to build and expand a partnership that has already lasted for over 25 years,” said Oracle CEO Larry Ellison.
The news comes at the onset of Oracle Open World, in San Francisco this week, where chief Larry Ellison keynoted this morning, announcing the availability of some long-awaited Oracle products. New executive Mark Hurd made a brief appearance this morning as well, marking his place as a public and participatory figure at Oracle. Regardless of which company is being the “bigger man” here, it’s an important partnership for HP in particular, as John Furrier notes,
“Although the tone is of partnerships their is no doubt in my mind that the mighty Oracle machine will squeeze HP in the future. HP needs to find a position that will drive their growth. This is a tough call for HP since Oracle represents the king of the core enterprise marketplace, but Oracle is not well positioned for those new emerging areas that cloud will enable.”
#theCUBE is reporting live from Oracle Open World all week. Be sure to check out the coverage, at SiliconANGLE.tv.
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