Takeover Fallout
Oracle’s announced 5,000-employee layoff, reduced from an originally projected 6,000, will most probably reach that higher figure sooner rather than later; it’s how layoffs happen. That the PeopleSoft customers gobbled up in the takeover haven’t defected en masse as yet is neither a surprise nor a positive indication of future trends, despite Oracle’s historical customer loyalty. It’s a bit soon to abandon multi-million dollar investments and on-going projects, especially when the alternatives aren’t yet entirely clear. I’m still surprised the court overturned the DOJ’s antitrust suit, based as it was on the objections of PeopleSoft customers, among whom were both state and federal agencies in addition to private and public companies, but it’s done now, and the results are only beginning to be seen.