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Salesforce's Benioff Nurtures The Waning Art Of CEO Smack Talking
When Sun co-founder Scott McNealy turned over the CEO reins, it wasn't the brilliant strategic moves that had everyone reminiscing, despite Sun's incredible success. It was his one-liners at rivals' expense. Now he's turned over the job to Jonathan Schwartz, who despite being a thoughtful blogger, seems more business-literature canon than loose cannon. At Oracle, Larry Ellison is still the master, but his public utterances are far too rare these days. The company's public voice these days is more often President Charles Phillips, who's got the wit but lacks the will to mix it up with rivals in public. Perhaps because he might be negotiating to buy them next. It's probably all good business, and perhaps the tech world is just too intertwined--from integrated products to potential acquisitions--to risk making enemies. But intense, public rivalries served the IT industry well in its frantic youth. Maybe a bit more youthful indiscretion is just what we need today. « Office 2007 'Shiny,' Says Scalzi | Main | Daily News Podcast For Wednesday, May 24 » |
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