Softwar: An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison and Oracle: Matthew Symonds, Larry Ellison
Editorial Reviews
Softwar is a biography of Larry Ellison and his company, Oracle. As such, it’s simultaneously a portrait of a clever and driven man, a case study of a successful software development company, and a tableau of the commercial software industry from its beginnings, through the dot-com craze, and into the present era. Matthew Symonds, who began this project while working as the editor of the excellent technology section of the Economist, has done a great job with all three elements of his project, thanks in no small part to the tremendous access he was given and to his close collaboration with Ellison.
Collaboration is very nearly the right word, as Ellison reviewed Symonds’ manuscript before publication and, while he did not alter it, he did make a large number of comments, which appear in the book as footnotes. As Symonds is a good journalist who attributes most of his material, Ellison is able to take issue immediately with statements other people make about him and his company. The overall effect is hypertextual, and represents an important new biographical technique that other writers should imitate. Softwar succeeds because Ellison has a fantastically interesting life, tremendous experience, and carefully considered opinions, and because Symonds communicates them with clarity and style. –David Wall
Topics covered: The life, times, acquaintances, tastes, toys, and opinions of Larry Ellison, the database entrepreneur and CEO of Oracle Corporation.
From Publishers Weekly
Symonds was technology editor at the Economist when Ellison invited him to collaborate on a book about e-business, but the journalist decided he would rather write a profile of the software tycoon, one of Silicon Valley’s most notorious figures. Oracle’s database programs have become integral to the Internet and other networked computer systems, and Oracle’s head is convinced that he can surpass Microsoft as the industry leader. But he’s also developed a reputation for his aggressive corporate tactics and personal flamboyance. Ellison agreed to cooperate with the project, but as part of the deal, he reserved the right to respond, which he does in a series of running footnotes. Sometimes he only uses the opportunity to mouth business platitudes, but he also refutes stories, cracks jokes and even argues with other sources. Although the book deals extensively with Oracle’s efforts to promote a new software package, it comes to life most when it follows Ellison outside the office-prepping his sailboat for a run at the America’s Cup or overseeing the final touches on a Japanese garden complex. Symonds’s near-total access to his subject leads to intimate observations that verge on personal advice, as when the writer suggests how best to handle a top Oracle executive or comments on the relationship between Ellison and his two children. But he remains objective enough to point out several mistakes in the past management of Oracle (many of which Ellison acknowledges or clarifies). Even without its unusual counterpoint, the book would stand as a compelling portrayal of one of the computer industry’s most influential leaders.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.