Oracle Woos And IBM Sues: Exec Who Knew Too Much

Oracle has recruited a high-level exec from arch-rival IBM to become senior VP of on-demand services and report directly to CEO Larry Ellison, but IBM is suing to stop the move, claiming she "possesses valuable confidential information about IBM and our operations."From a bloomberg.com news story:

Joanne Olsen, a 31-year veteran of IBM, left the company this month to become a senior vice president at Oracle, according to the suit, filed June 16. As a general manager in IBM's technology services division, Olsen knew about IBM's growth strategies and potential acquisitions, the company said.

"As a long-time general manager in our services business and as a member of the company's leadership team, Joanne Olsen possesses valuable confidential information about IBM and our operations," IBM spokesman Doug Shelton said today in an e- mailed statement. . . .

Olsen signed a non-compete clause in July 2009, stating she can't join a competitor for a year after leaving, according to the suit.

Ellison says he wants to create a great systems company, and that the IBM of 50 years ago is his model. So we'll probably be seeing lots more squabbles between these two powerhouses as their head-on competition expands from the database sector to hardware, software, and services.

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