The Soft Underbelly of Software Deals

摘要

It's been a heck of a week for the software industry. First there was Oracle Corp.'s Dec. 13 long-sought- after deal to acquire rival PeopleSoft Inc. for $10.3 billion. Then word leaked out that Symantec Corp., the top seller of computer security software, and storage-software maker Veritas Software Corp. entered into talks over a merger that could be worth $13 billion. It heralded, according to Oracle CEO Lawrence J. Ellison, a new era of dealmaking. "When the No. 2 buys the No. 4, it reshapes the industry," he said. "It kicks off consolidation in Silicon Valley."