Oracle’s Hidden Hand Is Behind the Google Antitrust Lawsuits
Software company has held 10-year grudge against search-engine giant
Larry Ellison, co-founder and executive chairman of Oracle Corp.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
With great fanfare last week, 44 attorneys general hit Google with two antitrust complaints, following a landmark lawsuit the Justice Department and 11 states lodged against the Alphabet Inc. unit in October.
What's less known is that Oracle Corp. spent years working behind the scenes to convince regulators and law enforcement agencies in Washington, more than 30 states, the European Union, Australia and at least three other countries to rein in Google's huge search-and-advertising business. Those efforts are paying off.