HP vs. Mark Hurd: Did Oracle's Lawyers Spot Legal Loophole?

legal loophole

To understand Ellison’s management style and business mindset pick up the book Everyone Else Must Fail: The Unvarnished Truth About Oracle and Larry Ellison. Written by the late Karen Southwick, the 2003 book stands the test of time, tracing Ellison’s penchant for rewriting the rules of business IT.

Ellison Showed His Hand Early

The VAR Guy concedes: When HP fired Hurd, our resident blogger underestimated the potential impact. But Ellison didn’t. Within hours or days of the firing, Ellison wrote an email to the New York Times, stating:

Plus, the Times noted that:

Now, Hurd and Ellison are looking to play on the same side of the net, serving up one heck of a potential headache for HP. The big question: Is it really legal for Hurd to join Oracle as co-president>?

Legal Wiggle Room?

The Wall Street Journal offers a point-by-point analysis of the HP lawsuit against Hurd. The VAR Guy wonders: As Hurd and Ellison explored Hurd’s potential employment with Oracle, how many hours did Oracle’s lawyers spend looking for competitive loopholes in Hurd’s severance agreement with HP?

Hmmm… Ellison has made some bold moves before: The hostile bid for PeopleSoft. The unexpected bid for Sun Microsystems. But hiring Hurd could be Ellison’s boldest move yet.

Adding to the drama: The Oracle OpenWorld (Sept. 19-23, San Francisco) conference will bring HP Executive VP Ann Livermore onto Oracle’s stage as a guest keynote speaker. The VAR Guy wonders: Will Hurd be there to welcome her?

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