This is one of the toughest emails I've ever had to write.
It's also one of the most hopeful about Sun's future in the industry.
For 27 years, Sun has stood for courage, innovation, a willingness to
blaze trails, to envision and engineer the future. No matter our ups
and downs, we've remained committed to those ideals, and to the R&D
that's allowed us to differentiate. We've committed to decade long
pursuits, from the evolution of one of the world's most powerful
datacenter operating systems, to one of the world's most advanced
multi-core microelectronics. We've never walked away from the
wholesale reinvention of business models, the redefinition of
technology boundaries or the pursuit of new routes to market.
Because of the unparalleled talent at Sun, we've also fueled entire
industries with our people and technologies, and fostered
extraordinary companies and market successes. Our products and
services have driven the discovery of new drugs, transformed social
media, and created a better understanding of the world and marketplace
around us. All, while we've undergone a near constant transformation
in the face of a rapidly changing marketplace and global economy.
We've never walked away from a challenge - or an opportunity.
So today we take another step forward in our journey, but along a
different path - by announcing that this weekend, our board of
directors and I approved the acquisition of Sun Microsystems by the
Oracle Corporation for $9.50/share in cash. All members of the board
present at the meeting to review the transaction voted for it with
enthusiasm, and the transaction stands to utterly transform the
marketplace - bringing together two companies with a long history of
working together to create a newly unified vision of the future.
Oracle's interest in Sun is very clear - they aspire to help customers
simplify the development, deployment and operation of high value
business systems, from applications all the way to datacenters. By
acquiring Sun, Oracle will be well positioned to help customers solve
the most complex technology problems related to running a business.
To me, this proposed acquisition totally redefines the industry,
resetting the competitive landscape by creating a company with great
reach, expertise and innovation. A combined Oracle/Sun will be capable
of cultivating one of the world's most vibrant and far reaching
developer communities, accelerating the convergence of storage,
networking and computing, and delivering one of the world's most
powerful and complete portfolios of business and technical software.
I do not consider the announcement to be the end of the road, not by
any stretch of the imagination. I believe this is the first step down
a different path, one that takes us and our innovations to an even
broader market, one that ensures the ubiquitous role we play in the
world around us. The deal was announced today, and, after regulatory
review and shareholder approval, will take some months to close -
until that close occurs, however, we are a separate company, operating
independently. No matter how long it takes, the world changed starting
today.
But it's important to note it's not the acquisition that's changing
the world - it's the people that fuel both companies. Having spent a
considerable amount of time talking to Oracle, let me assure you they
are single minded in their focus on the one asset that doesn't appear
in our financial statements: our people. That's their highest priority
- creating an inviting and compelling environment in which our
brightest minds can continue to invent and deliver the future.
Thank you for everything you've done over the years, and for
everything you will do in the future to carry the business forward.
I'm incredibly proud of this company and what we've accomplished
together.
Details will be forthcoming as we work together on the integration
planning process.
Jonathan
--
Korben Zhang
http://sites.google.com/site/korbenzhang/
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