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institution1977–present

Oracle

Disciplines:
software/database software
enterprise software/enterprise computing
cloud computing/cloud infrastructure

Summary

American technology company founded by Larry Ellison in 1977, the world's dominant relational database provider for three decades, and a late entrant to cloud computing.

Core Contribution

Built the enterprise relational database market and made Oracle Database the mission-critical system of record for global enterprises — creating switching costs so profound that customers pay premium prices for decades rather than migrate.

Historical Influences

Larry Ellison Edgar F. Codd

Intellectual Lineage

Relational Database TheoryEnterprise Software Tradition Silicon Valley Entrepreneurial Tradition

Contemporaries & Peers

IBM Microsoft SAP Sybase

Minds Influenced

SAP Salesforce Microsoft SQL Server

Intellectual Posterity

Oracle Database PL/SQLRelational database market dominance

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Oracle

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