The 10 Biggest Oracle Stories Of 2010

2. Hurd In, Phillips Out As Oracle President

Oracle shocked the industry Sept. 6 when, in back-to-back press releases, it announced that President Charles Phillips had resigned and former HP CEO Mark Hurd had been named to replace him.

Hurd's appointment, with a $950,000 salary and eligibility for up to $10 million in bonuses, came just weeks after he resigned from HP because of charges of misreporting expenses. Oracle's move caused a rift with one-time ally HP. But there were indications that some HP channel partners might follow Hurd to Oracle.

As for Phillips, Ellison was quoted in a press release saying that Phillips had wanted to "transition out of the company" since December, but Ellison had convinced him to stay through the Sun acquisition. In October Phillips landed a job as CEO at Oracle competitor Infor.

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