So here we go…Today the news is reproducing almost everywhere an email submitted by the oracle regarding the case of TomorrowNow’s, scheduled for the first day in November. There are even quite funny references to that (not saying the content is not serious).
But as we go through these references, we miss a certain link that explains why the outbursts from the oracle are coming these days, before the trial actually starts.
After all the mess about certain article published in NYT, a few days ago SAP formally asked for a gag order against the oracle.
And we think that this is probably one of the reasons why the oracle has actually exploded and certainly has done it before the trial started.
Should the gag order come effective, all the information and media influence about it would remain within the courtroom. So in certain way, this email from Big Mouth Larry is one more attempt to influence jurors before he must shut up publicly. it would be consistent with his style, as we recall his declarations about Mark Hurd’s ousting, and many other examples of his particular verbosity.
And trying to understand what he means in this email, we wonder what the need or purpose of sending it is .
First: He is not addressing that much the case itself, but more the fact of Léo Apotheker, former SAP CEO and currently HP CEO, attending the trial should he be called or not. His main point is this one. It is Léo Apotheker’s presence. The German exec is just one more witness in a longer list. SAP, the offender company, is hardly mentioned but incidentally, as the previous employer of Léo Apotheker.
Second: If he does have evidence about any wrongdoing by Léo Apotheker, then he indeed has a won case, and naturally Justice will grant him his demands. But it is up to the jurors to decide the verdict, not general public, and certainly not journalists. The case will be settled in a courtroom, not in parallel trials online.
Third: He boldly dares to guess HP’s plans of keeping Léo Apotheker away from the US in order to avoid having to attend the trial. Who is Big Mouth Larry to suggest cowardice of others?
We think that some explanation to the previous items lies in the hypothetical rationale in Big Mouth Larry’s feverish mind. If you want, the situation looks very much like crime investigation: The first suspects are usually those thought by investigators to get some kind of benefit from the crime.
One: By distracting its CEO, the oracle hits directly HP top managers. He would delay the effective start date at HP of Apotheker, and would have as well HP’s top managers sort of “distracted” too.
Two: All the energy and resources that Léo has and will have to dedicate to this issue won’t be therefore devoted to HP.
Three: HP’s reputation will be damaged. HP has already been too much in the news in the news because of legal matters: HP Board being sued by shareholder groups, HP suing Mark Hurd for lack of ethics, more shareholders suing HP for how the Hurd ouster was managed… not to mention earlier (and not so old) suit that cost the job to former chairwoman Patricia Dunn and so forth.
Four: Driving attention to Léo Apotheker in particular, and to HP and SAP at a broader level, effectively removes it from Mark Hurd primarily and Charles Phillips secondarily, much more tied to the oracle than to HP or SAP. This guys badly need it.
Five: Particularly related to Mark Hurd, this is a big favor from big-brother Larry… We could imagine, right after his ouster, Mark Hurd running out of tears to his tennis dear friend: “Larry, Larry, look at what they did to me; Larry, would you please stand for me?…”
Six: The self-assigned myth of invincibility and being above Good and Evil for Larry himself. Blinded by self-pride, the guy probably feels the need to prove himself and incidentally the rest of the world that his word is law… And a particularly sensitive community within the “rest of the world” is made up from the ranks at the oracle precisely. We would not be surprised if Big Mouth Larry expects his employees to fall down to their knees and surrender to the power of their Leader, like all those Ford-worshippers in George Orwell’s 1984.
It is said that Larry Ellison dresses in Armani suits. Being as rich as him, it is something that we could expect…Probably there are many Armani suits in the meetings and forums Larry attends.
Now, what we should not expect is to see are Armani suits in slum bullies brawling.
Elegance is more than just paying thousands of dollars for perfectly tailored suits, and ranking 6th in the list of wealthiest people in the globe…
If you’d follow me, it is not the suit: It is more the way you use and wear the suit. Armani, by the way, is just a label.
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