Larry Ellison is anything but a check on Elon Musk
Oracle’s founder will be a bad influence on someone who needs his worst impulses reined in
New York — Larry Ellison is anything but a check on Elon Musk. The Oracle founder calls himself a “very close friend” of the Tesla CEO and owns nearly $1bn of the car maker’s stock. He also shares an imperious style and penchant for outsized pay. Musk’s deal with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) mandated an independent director, but Ellison is unlikely to rein him in. Musk’s infamous tweet in August saying he was “considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured” prompted the SEC to sue for his removal as CEO and from the company’s board. As part of a settlement, Musk agreed to step down as chair and pay a $20m fine. The company also agreed to appoint two independent directors. While no heavyweight, Kathleen Wilson-Thompson, the Walgreens Boots Alliance HR chief Tesla named to its board, fits that bill. Ellison is a much more curious choice. Like Musk, he is long on vision. Oracle wanted to change the face of computing; Tesla, the future of transportation. Or...
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