Hurd, formerly of Teradata, still commands respect here

Teradata

Focus: Data warehousing

Net income (for quarter ending June 30, 2010): $74 million

Value of outstanding shares: $5.54 billion

Based: Miami Twp.

Oracle

Focus: Business software and hardware

Net income (for quarter ending May 31, 2010): $2.36 billion

Value of outstanding shares: $122 billion

Based: Redwood Shores, Calif.

It remains to be seen how or when Mark Hurd will fit into his new company, Oracle.

What is clear is that Hurd still commands respect in the Dayton area and beyond.

Hurd’s former employer, Hewlett-Packard, filed a lawsuit against its former chief executive Tuesday, Sept. 7, one day after Oracle announced that Hurd will join it as a co-president.

Hurd, 53, resigned last month from HP.

Hurd led Teradata when it was a division of NCR. Hurd also served as chief executive of NCR, leaving that company in 2005 to join HP.

Dave Gasper knew Hurd during his time at NCR. Gasper, now head of software developer Initial Point, sold his Gasper Corp. to NCR in 1999.

Gasper wondered Tuesday if Hurd’s joining Oracle makes Teradata a likely takeover target for Oracle one day. “This could kind of be his opening gambit (at Oracle),” he said.

A Teradata spokesman declined to comment.

Terry Rapoch, president and CEO of daytaOhio, a center encouraging development of visualization and computing businesses in Ohio, knew Hurd as well. Rapoch isn’t sure Hurd is eyeing Teradata at all — at least, not immediately.

He thinks that with the HP lawsuit, and with Oracle CEO Larry Ellison pursuing his own vision, “I think they have other fish to fry.”

But Rapoch also sees Hurd as a “great believer” in data warehousing — which is Teradata’s focus. Hurd tried to have HP compete with Teradata during his time at HP’s helm, Rapoch said.

Said Rapoch, “You can be assured that the same thing is likely to occur at Oracle.”

There had been talk of Hurd joining Teradata’s board before Oracle’s announcement on Monday.

But Teradata may not have held that much pull for Hurd, Savitz said.

“I think it wouldn’t have been much of a contest,” said Eruc Savitz, a technology blogger for Barron’s. “Hurd is now in position to potentially succeed Larry (Ellison) as CEO at Oracle, a position far more powerful than running Teradata.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2390 or tgnau@DaytonDailyNews.com.