It lasted three hours and was aboard the Concorde
We could say that, at the end of the 80s, everything in technology it was field. Everything was yet to be done and the technological competition was in full swing. Larry Ellison, the founder and CEO of Oracle, decided to do something truly extraordinary to present a new product that would be what many today consider the first stone of the current Oracle: Oracle 6. As and as they remembered from LuxuryLaunchesin 1988, the millionaire founder wanted to give a theatrical coup to the presentation of the new version of his relational database management system and, without a doubt, he succeeded. He did it in the middle of the Atlantic flying with a group of journalists and analysts in a Concorde chartered for the occasion. As fast as a Concorde. Just as they collect the publications of the time, Ellison had the brilliant idea of linking the speed of processing the databases of his new edition of Oracle 6 with his other passion: supersonic planes. Oracle rented a Concorde, the famous supersonic plane that linked New York and Europe in just over two hours because it flew at speeds of up to Mach 2 (2,469 km/h). The concept was clear: the new Oracle 6 was the computer equivalent of the Concorde. The idea was to show that its database worked at supersonic speed, compared to the competition from IBM. A quick dinner. The choice of Concorde was not accidental. Larry Ellison was known for his passion for fighter planes and speed, which made a trip at more than 2,400 km/h the ideal place to present a product that wanted to stand out for its speed. Mike Jacobs, veteran Oracle executive, stated in the book ‘The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison: Inside Oracle Corporation’ by Mike Wilson about that presentation “We took the analysts and the press to dinner on a flight to nowhere, and it was quick.” The Concorde seats were not affordable for everyone, so the food that was served on board It wasn’t either. Passengers enjoyed Dom Pérignon champagne, followed by caviar and a complete selection of French classics such as lobster, duck or beef served on delicate porcelain tableware. All this while the company’s engineers were telling the benefits of the new features of Oracle 6. The after-dinner session did not last too long since the tjourney aboard the Concorde It barely lasted less than three hours. It wasn’t a cheap account either.. Each Concorde ticket cost an average of $7,500 (about $15,500 currently). Therefore, inviting the approximately 100 journalists and analysts who could fit on a Concorde to dinner today would cost Ellison $1.55 million. However, that was the price of a charter flight operated by British Airways or Air France. But, it should be remembered that Oracle chartered the Concorde exclusively for the presentation, so it was not a regular flight. Which adds some zeros to the final count. We guess the tip was on point too. The first stone for Oracle. That presentation, beyond the eccentricity of appearing aboard the fastest and most exclusive plane in the world, marked a before and after in the history of Oracle, laying the foundations of the company. what we know today. The new software served to change engineers’ perceptions of Oracle, as it was previously joked that “Oracle never breaks, it just gives you wrong results.” A recurring joke among computer scientists of the time about the reliability of Oracle software. This database solved previous problems and positioned the company as a great competitor in the data management software market. The use of Concorde as a stage for the launch was a coup that reinforced the image of innovation, speed and success that Ellison wanted to convey to his public and his rivals. In Xataka | Larry Ellison wanted to feed the world by growing lettuce on his private island: he irrigated it with 500 million dollars Image | Wikimedia Commons (Eduard Marmet), Flickr (Oracle)
