Larry Ellison: Steve Jobs was 'our Edison'
In an upcoming interview with Charlie Rose, the Oracle CEO extolls Jobs' virtues and hints that Apple could be on the downward slide without the former leader at the helm.
It's no secret that Oracle CEO Larry Ellison greatly admired Steve Jobs, and he spells out this esteem for the late Apple co-founder in an upcoming interview with Charlie Rose on "CBS This Morning."
"He was brilliant," Ellison tells Rose in a preview of the interview released Monday. "He was our Edison, he was our Picasso. He was an incredible inventor."
Ellison was a close friend of Jobs and has frequently commended the Apple co-founder's skill, insight, and attention to detail. As far back as 1998, Ellison sang Jobs' praises, saying that he was Apple's best chief executive. And, when Jobs passed away in 2011, Ellison said, "Steve would translate good ideas into a finished product unlike anyone in the industry."
In the "CBS This Morning" interview, Rose asks Ellison what direction Apple will take with Jobs no longer at the helm. Ellison says that we only need to look at history to see that the company's future doesn't look too bright.
"Well, we already know," Ellison told Rose. "We saw, we conducted the experiment. I mean, it's been done. We saw Apple with Steve Jobs. We saw Apple without Steve Jobs. We saw Apple with Steve Jobs. Now, we're gonna see Apple without Steve Jobs."
The Larry Ellison interview will air in full on Tuesday. Besides Jobs, he will also speak about a host of other topics.