(November 15, 2007) - "If we made another offer, the price would be lower," Oracle's Larry Ellison told those who gathered last night at Oracle's annual financial analyst meeting in San Francisco. "Clearly the $17 price seems too high now," Ellison warned, in what those there were quick to characterized as a "blunt threat." (Ellison did the same thing when in pursuit of PeopleSoft, mind you.)
Ellison did not shy from hinting that BEA's shareholders will rue the day that they didn't get the chance to take $17 a share to the bank. "At $17 a share, it was a highly accretive transaction," he declared.
BEA is due to file its overdue third-quarter accounts today.