Customer Reviews

The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison : *God Doesn't Think He's Larry Ellison

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It's a very good book in terms of the history of the computing giants that shaped the world. It kept my attention long enough to dedicate 2 days to reading it cover to cover. As an Oracle programmer, it helped me understand some of the thoughts I had of the company since working with their product since the early 90's.

The author tried the address the book as a novel, skipping around in time and making it difficult to follow. You go from 1977 to 1989 to 1991 to 1984 to 1996 to ... (you get what I mean). Confusing.

This is the type of book that needed to be more linear in timeline or overlapping in timeline, but not arranged the way it was. Still, very enjoyable and worth the read for those that enjoy the behind the scenes action that shaped technology as we know it today.

Yes, I liked it. As an Oracle UK employee it filled in information on many of the myths that float around the company. It would make good reading for anyone who would like to get an insight into what drives Larry and how he views himself (and wants others to view him as well).

The book is well written but compared to other biographies that I have read, does not capture and hold the reader. I found some of the chapters very hard going (particularly the discussions of in depth finance) but others held my attention well.

The book is worth reading merely for the information that it contains from realtives, friends and even interviews with Larry.

I found out about this book in an Oracle training class two years ago but put off reading it until now. THIS BOOK KNOCKED MY SOCKS OFF! The most fascinating thing about this story was that I had witnessed almost all the book's events in my own experiences working for other high-tech startup companies here in the Denver area. I was constantly saying to myself, as I read, "That's exactly what happened when I was working at (fill in the blank) Inc!". The same personalities (some even worse), the same marketing pressures, the same technical problems, the same product support problems, the same legal problems, the same IPOs, and some of the same rewards (but I didn't receive as many stock options ;^).

I would HIGHLY recommend this book to any (technical) person who is considering working for a high-tech startup for the first time. This is the greatest and most accurate tale (at least in my experience) that is available of day-to-day life in a startup company. Some of the stuff that happens at these types of companies is SO WEIRD that you usually have to see it for yourself to believe it. This book gives a VERY GOOD look at "the weird stuff".

A fascinating read, but I was quite surprised to find no discussion of Attention Deficit Disorder in this book. Much of Mr. Ellison's behavior is quite 'understandable' assuming he 'suffers from' / 'is blessed with' ADD. Read 'Driven to Distraction' along with this book and see if you agree.

I really can't add to the professional reviews; they're right on target. I will say that Ellison is a piece of work...brash, creative, flawed- and in the end quite fascinating. Machiavelli and Hugh Hefner come to life in the high flying world of the silicon wars. Great read...inspirational in showing what you can do with guts and determination. I really liked it and recommend it.

Having worked for Oracle as a technical support rep, back when there were only five of us in the US and seven worldwide (we kept our support database on paper because the database was too slow and prone to corruption!), I too recommend book.

"The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison" is a 'must-read' for anyone considering buying a relational database management system, working in the industry, or for anyone who is simply wants to mercilessly crush their competition with mediocre products and high pressure sales tactics. Larry Ellison makes Machievelli look like Saint Francis. However, like Ghengis Khan, you have to admire his accomplishments.

The book flows well, is interesting to read, and gives good insight into Larry Ellison himself as well as Oracle. There is considerable background material that all seems relevant as the book progresses. Ellison was interviewed 4 times for this book, and while the book reflects overall a favorable opinion of him, it also seems very truthful and frank. I gained a better insight of the software and database industry from reading the book. Was also helpful in analyzing Ellison and his leadership strategies.

I found the book a fairly easy read. It was informative and each quote was marked with a 'who said it' reference in the back of the book. The book paints a grand picture of Larry but also gives you the sense that you may not want to buy a used car from him. Overall the book gives you the insight that Larry got to be a billionaire due to a crafty ability to sell to people, and a complete determination to win. Many of the stories within the book are interesting and entertaining even if some of them may be fabrications of the people who told them. I recommend this book if you know anything about Larry and Oracle already.

Could not stop reading this book, but it sure seems like a smear campaign against Ellison at times. However, I do think that the book presents genuine and honest feedback from those who worked at Oracle. There is a never-ending array of people offering their input, and at times disagreement about facts. Things jumps around a bit, but the title says it all.

Love him or hate him (I am firmly entrenched in the former), this book serves up an interesting history of Oracle without too much of Ellison's personal bias. Great stuff. On to "Softwar" next.

Like many other people who used to work for Oracle (albeit many layers removed from Ellison), I found this book fascinating. I can attest that the depiction of Oracle's corporate culture is accurate. I enjoyed the book more as a history of Oracle the company rather than Larry the man, although the two are inseparable.