Ellison's Contrarian Mind: Burning Boats, Not Grinding
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Books
- "Softwar: An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison and Oracle" by Matthew Simmons - This book is recommended as the first biography to read on Larry Ellison because the author had extensive access to Ellison, including traveling with him for two years and conducting candid conversations.
- "Autobiography" by Sam Walton - Mentioned as an example of someone who understood the competitive advantage of controlling expenses, a theme also discussed in relation to Larry Ellison.
Videos & Documentaries
- Video of Larry Ellison talking about AI - This video was mentioned as an example of Ellison's continued clear communication, simple messaging, and charismatic style even in his early 80s.
Research & Studies
- IBM research papers about a prototype relational database - Larry Ellison used these papers as an architectural blueprint for Oracle's first commercial relational database product.
Tools & Software
- Oracle - The company founded by Larry Ellison, primarily known for its database software.
- Ramp - A corporate card and expense management platform that helps businesses control spending.
- Vanta - A platform that helps companies automate compliance, security, and trust to pass audits and close deals.
- Collateral - A service that helps build compelling stories and marketing collateral for businesses, particularly in finance.
Articles & Papers
- Jeff Bezos's shareholder letters - Mentioned as an example of a company investing heavily in new customer introductions, similar to Oracle's strategy with its database.
People Mentioned
- Larry Ellison - Founder of Oracle, the central figure of the episode.
- Matthew Simmons - Author of the book "Softwar: An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison and Oracle."
- Steve Jobs - Larry Ellison's best friend for 25 years, whose insights on not resting on laurels and disliking complexity are referenced.
- Bill Gates - Founder of Microsoft, discussed as a major competitor and intellectual rival of Larry Ellison.
- Sam Walton - Founder of Walmart, mentioned for his emphasis on cost control.
- Andrew Carnegie - Industrialist, cited for his obsession with cost control.
- Eric - Co-founder and CEO of Ramp, mentioned as a friend the host has discussed cost control with.
- Jack Butcher - Friend of the host, known for his line about ideas spreading via language and the importance of a great product name.
- Don Lucas - Venture capitalist who helped arrange a loan for Oracle.
- Napoleon - French military leader, quoted to illustrate the idea of one person being everything in critical moments.
- Jeff - Colleague of Larry Ellison who questioned a smart but ineffective CFO.
- Walker - A smart individual who was hired as CFO but proved to be ineffective at the job.
- Mark Benioff - Founder of Salesforce, who previously worked for Larry Ellison and offered insights on Ellison's driving force.
- Nippon Steel - Japanese company that provided a loan to Oracle in exchange for warrants.
- Bob Miner - Larry Ellison's closest friend at Oracle.
- Lou Ellison - Larry Ellison's adoptive father, who told him he would never amount to anything.
- Safra Catz - An employee Larry Ellison hired to compensate for his weaknesses, who eventually became CEO of Oracle.
- Jensen - Mentioned as having similarities to Larry Ellison, specifically being embarrassed by his performance as CEO of Nvidia for the first 15 years.
- Jonas Salk - Developer of the polio vaccine, used as an example of focusing on actions rather than unknowable motives.
Organizations & Institutions
- Oracle - The company founded by Larry Ellison.
- Microsoft - A major competitor and subject of comparison for Oracle.
- IBM - A significant player in the early computing industry, whose research contributed to Oracle's database development.
- HealthSouth - A giant healthcare company whose founder's excessive spending on private jets was contrasted with Ellison's frugality.
- Nvidia - Mentioned in comparison to Oracle regarding CEO performance and focus.
- Sequoia - Venture capital firm, whose founder Don Valentine is quoted.
- Standard Oil - Company whose strategy Bill Gates' business strategy is compared to.
- Nippon Steel - Japanese company that provided a loan to Oracle.
- Israeli Aircraft Industries - Company that provided jets to Oracle in exchange for software.
- CIA - Central Intelligence Agency, an early customer of Oracle.
- NSA - National Security Agency, an early customer of Oracle.
Courses & Educational Resources
- None explicitly mentioned
Websites & Online Resources
- ramp.com - Website for Ramp, a platform for controlling business spend.
- vanta.com/founders - Website for Vanta, a security and compliance platform.
- collateral.com - Website for Collateral, a service for creating marketing collateral and storytelling.
Other Resources
- Conversations with founders (new show) - The host's new podcast show where he has conversations with business leaders.