Oracle

Larry Ellison, Bob Miner, and Ed Oates founded Software Development Laboratories in Santa Clara, California, inspired by a research paper on relational databases.

Oracle shipped its first commercial relational database management system (version 2, no version 1 was released), becoming the first company to commercialize SQL-based relational databases.

Oracle went public on the Nasdaq under ticker ORCL, listing alongside Microsoft in what was a landmark year for tech IPOs.

Oracle launched the Oracle E-Business Suite, a comprehensive integrated suite of enterprise applications that positioned Oracle as a leader in ERP software.

Oracle completed its hostile $10.3 billion acquisition of PeopleSoft after an 18-month battle, becoming the world's second-largest enterprise software company.

Oracle acquired Siebel Systems, the world's leading customer relationship management (CRM) software company, for approximately $5.85 billion. The acquisition eliminated Oracle's biggest competitor in the CRM market and added Siebel's extensive enterprise customer base. It was Oracle's second-largest acquisition at the time and cemented its position in the enterprise applications market.

Oracle acquired BEA Systems for $8.5 billion, gaining BEA's WebLogic application server and enterprise middleware portfolio. The acquisition positioned Oracle as the dominant player in the middleware market, competing directly with IBM's WebSphere. It marked one of Oracle's largest acquisitions at the time and continued Larry Ellison's strategy of consolidating the enterprise software industry.

Oracle completed its $7.4 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems, gaining the Java programming language, Solaris operating system, and SPARC hardware, transforming Oracle into a hardware company.

Oracle publicly launched Oracle Cloud, its cloud computing platform offering SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS, marking its entry into competing with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.

Oracle acquired NetSuite, the cloud-based enterprise resource planning pioneer founded by Oracle veteran Evan Goldberg and backed by Larry Ellison, for $9.3 billion. The acquisition significantly strengthened Oracle's cloud application portfolio and marked a major commitment to competing with Salesforce and Workday in the cloud ERP market.

Oracle launched its Autonomous Database, a self-driving, self-securing, and self-repairing cloud database service that uses machine learning to automate tuning, patching, upgrades, and security. The product represented Oracle's boldest bet on autonomous cloud infrastructure and became a key differentiator in the competitive database-as-a-service market.

Oracle partnered with TikTok to become its secure cloud technology provider in the United States under a project called 'Project Texas', winning a high-profile deal to host and secure TikTok's US user data. The partnership elevated Oracle Cloud Infrastructure's credibility and contributed to a surge in Oracle's cloud revenue growth, challenging the dominance of AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

Oracle completed its $28.3 billion acquisition of Cerner, the largest acquisition in Oracle's history, marking a major push into healthcare IT.

Oracle's market capitalization surpassed $500 billion for the first time as its cloud infrastructure and database businesses gained momentum in the AI era. The company's stock surged as investors recognized Oracle Cloud as a viable alternative for AI and enterprise workloads, with Chairman Larry Ellison's technology bets on autonomous databases and multi-cloud partnerships driving significant growth.

Oracle signed a landmark USD 300 billion, five-year cloud computing contract with OpenAI as part of Project Stargate, the largest software contract in history. The agreement commits Oracle to supply 4.5 gigawatts of data center capacity for AI training and inference, transforming Oracle from a legacy database company into a top-tier AI infrastructure provider alongside Microsoft. The deal sent Oracle stock soaring and cemented Larry Ellison's position among the world's wealthiest executives.

The U.S. Department of Defense awarded Oracle a 10-year enterprise software agreement, negotiated by the Navy, consolidating the Pentagon's on-premises Oracle software licenses and support under a single purchasing vehicle. The contract carries a USD 3.31 billion base for the first five years, rising to a USD 6.99 billion ceiling if all option years are exercised, and is projected to deliver an estimated USD 441 million in savings. The award secured a large, long-term federal revenue stream for Oracle as the company pushes into cloud and AI following its USD 300 billion Stargate partnership with OpenAI.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs modified its electronic health record modernization contract with Oracle Health Government Services, raising the contract ceiling by approximately USD 16.94 billion. The multi-year extension, effective through May 2031, covers deployment and support across 164 VA medical centers and emphasizes integration of AI-driven healthcare technologies. The expansion significantly increases Oracle's exposure to federal healthcare IT spending.

Oracle disclosed in a Form 10-Q filed with the SEC that it added roughly USD 700 million to its 2026 restructuring plan, lifting total expected costs to about USD 2.8 billion, primarily employee severance. The cuts, reported by Bloomberg, are part of a company-wide restructuring aimed at adopting artificial intelligence across its business and freeing cash for its massive AI infrastructure spending. The scale of the plan marks one of the largest workforce restructurings in Oracles history.