Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Bloomberg.com: Europe
Bloomberg.com: Europe: "The tactics are classic Ellison, famous for his admiration of ``The Art of War,'' the treatise on battle tactics written by the sixth-century BC Chinese general Sun Tzu.
Ellison, 62, is a master of applying Sun Tzu's precepts to the modern-day warfare of business competition, say those who know him. One basic tenet notes a smaller force can beat a larger one by causing its rival to respond before thinking.
``Larry consistently executes `The Art of War' better than any CEO,'' Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff, who has described Ellison as a mentor, said in an interview. ``SAP never should have reacted to Oracle's statements because it makes customers and investors view Oracle as a peer to SAP, when they aren't.'' "
Ellison, 62, is a master of applying Sun Tzu's precepts to the modern-day warfare of business competition, say those who know him. One basic tenet notes a smaller force can beat a larger one by causing its rival to respond before thinking.
``Larry consistently executes `The Art of War' better than any CEO,'' Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff, who has described Ellison as a mentor, said in an interview. ``SAP never should have reacted to Oracle's statements because it makes customers and investors view Oracle as a peer to SAP, when they aren't.'' "
