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The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison

Mike Wilson

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Summary

Wilson profiles Larry Ellison and the growth of Oracle, drawing on interviews with Ellison and more than a hundred people who knew him. The account considers Ellison’s ambitions, management style and relationships alongside the company he built. It presents a reported portrait assembled from the perspectives of the subject, his friends and his critics.

  • SourceThe Difference Between God and Larry Ellison — HarperCollins licensed Google Books · Publisher description and Bibliographic information; 1998 ISBN 9780688163532; interviews with Ellison, friends and enemies

Why read it Our view

Useful for comparing a founder’s account with reports from people who worked with him. Ask where those perspectives agree, where they differ and what evidence supports each claim. Keep the subject’s ambition, the company’s practices and the author’s interpretation separate when drawing a lesson.

Written about

  • Larry EllisonBiography subject
    Ellison is the subject of Wilson’s biography. The publisher states that Wilson interviewed Ellison as well as more than a hundred friends and enemies; this is not evidence of Ellison endorsing the book.
    Source