Oracle vs Salesforce: Founders, CEOs and History
Oracle was founded in 1977 by Lawrence Joseph Ellison, Robert Nimrod Miner, Edward A. Oates and is led by Clay Magouyrk and Mike Sicilia. Salesforce was founded in 1999 by Marc Benioff, Parker Harris, Dave Moellenhoff and is led by Marc Benioff.
Company facts
Oracle
- Founded
- 1977
- Headquarters
- Austin, Texas, United States
- Current CEO
- Clay Magouyrk and Mike Sicilia
- Employees
- 141,000
Salesforce
- Founded
- 1999
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California
- Current CEO
- Marc Benioff
- Employees
- 83,334
Founders
Oracle
Lawrence Joseph Ellison
Oracle possesses arguably the most aggressive, intensely competitive, and controversial founding story in the entire history of Silicon Valley, rooted entirely in a CIA contract and driven by arguably the most competitive billionaire in American business histo…
Robert Nimrod Miner
Bob Miner co-founded Oracle and served as the central technical architect behind the company's early database products. While Ellison drove sales and strategy, Miner focused on making the software work for demanding customers.
Edward A. Oates
Ed Oates co-founded Oracle in 1977 and played an important role in the company's early technical and product formation. He helped the young company take relational database concepts and present them in an usable, commercially credible way.
Salesforce
Marc Benioff
Marc Benioff is a fiercely visionary American technology entrepreneur, highly aggressive corporate architect, and the profoundly influential CEO and founding patriarch fundamentally responsible for creating the massively dominant Salesforce cloud software empi…
Parker Harris
Parker Harris is an absolutely brilliant software engineer, fiercely skilled digital architect, and the profoundly influential technical co-founder fundamentally responsible for programming the incredibly complex infrastructural bedrock of the massive Salesfor…
Dave Moellenhoff
Dave Moellenhoff is a highly astute software engineer, fiercely visionary digital operator, and the profoundly influential technical co-founder fundamentally responsible for architecting the highly critical security and multi-tenant frameworks of the massive S…
Frank Dominguez
Frank Dominguez is a fiercely brilliant software engineer, highly strategic digital architect, and the profoundly influential technical co-founder fundamentally responsible for the incredibly robust frontend engineering and early product development of the mas…
CEOs and their tenures
Oracle
- Hilary Maxson
Chief Financial Officer
CFO presenting Oracle's FY2027 guidance of at least $90 billion in revenue on the September 2026 earnings call.
Source - Larry Ellison1977–present
Co-founder, Chairman and Chief Technology Officer
Led Oracle as CEO from 1977 to 2014 and has since served as chairman and CTO, directing database and OCI technology strategy. Owns roughly 40% of Oracle shares.
Source - Safra Catz2014–2025
Executive Vice Chair (CEO 2014-2025)
Served as co-CEO from 2014 and sole CEO from 2019 until September 2025, when she became executive vice chair of the board.
Source - Clay Magouyrk2025–present
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Previously president of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, where he led the OCI build-out from its early engineering team. Named co-CEO on September 22, 2025 with responsibility tied to Oracle's AI infrastructure expansion.
Source - Mike Sicilia2025–present
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Previously president of Oracle Industries, overseeing industry applications including Oracle Health. Named co-CEO on September 22, 2025.
Source
Salesforce
- Marc Benioff1999–present
Chair and Chief Executive Officer
Benioff has led Salesforce for its entire history, apart from co-CEO periods with Keith Block (2018-2020) and Bret Taylor (2021-2023).
Source - Parker Harris1999–present
Co-founder, Director and Chief Technology Officer, Slack
Harris is the remaining co-founder in an executive role and a member of the board.
Source
Timeline: Oracle and Salesforce side by side
1977Oracle
Oracle Founded
Larry Ellison, Bob Miner, and Ed Oates founded the company that became Oracle.
1994Oracle
Acquired Rdb
Oracle acquired Rdb in 1994.
1999Salesforce
Salesforce is founded
Marc Benioff, Parker Harris, Dave Moellenhoff, and Frank Dominguez founded Salesforce to deliver CRM through a browser.
2004Salesforce
NYSE IPO
Salesforce completed its initial public offering and gave the SaaS model public-market proof.
2005Salesforce
AppExchange launches
Salesforce opened the platform to third-party applications, strengthening its ecosystem moat.
2010Oracle
Sun Microsystems Acquisition
Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems, adding Java, Solaris, and hardware assets.
2019Salesforce
Tableau acquisition closes
Salesforce added analytics and visualization through the Tableau acquisition.
2021Salesforce
Slack acquisition closes
Salesforce acquired Slack to add workplace collaboration as a workflow surface for CRM data.
2022Oracle
Cerner Acquisition Completed
Oracle completed the Cerner acquisition and expanded into healthcare data systems.
2025Oracle
Clay Magouyrk and Mike Sicilia Named CEOs
Oracle promoted Clay Magouyrk and Mike Sicilia to Chief Executive Officers; Safra Catz became Executive Vice Chair.
2026Oracle
$67.357B FY2026 Revenue
Oracle reported record FY2026 total revenue of $67.357 billion.
2026Oracle
Q1 FY2027: $664B RPO
Oracle reported Q1 FY2027 revenue of $19.3B and RPO of $664B, and completed a $20B at-the-market common stock sale.
2026Salesforce
FY2026 revenue reaches $41.525B
Salesforce reported $41.525 billion in FY2026 revenue, with subscription and support revenue of $39.388 billion.
2026Salesforce
Q2 fiscal 2027 and raised guidance
Salesforce reported Q2 fiscal 2027 revenue of $11.345 billion, up 11%, Agentforce and Data 360 ARR of nearly $3.9 billion, and raised fiscal 2027 guidance to $46.1-46.4 billion.
Acquisitions
Oracle
- Cerner2022$28.3B
- NetSuite2016$9.3B
- Sun Microsystems2010$7.4B
- BEA Systems2008$8.5B
- Hyperion Solutions2007$3.3B
- Siebel Systems2006$5.8B
Salesforce
- Informatica2025$8B
- Own2024$1.9B
- PredictSpring and Tenyx2024Undisclosed
- Airkit.ai2023Undisclosed
- Spiff2023Undisclosed
- Troops.ai2022Undisclosed
Questions about Oracle vs Salesforce
Who is the CEO of Oracle Corporation and Salesforce, Inc.?
Oracle Corporation is led by Clay Magouyrk and Mike Sicilia and Salesforce, Inc. is led by Marc Benioff. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Oracle Corporation founded vs Salesforce, Inc.?
Oracle Corporation was founded in 1977 — 22 years before Salesforce, Inc., which was founded in 1999. Oracle Corporation's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Salesforce, Inc..
How many employees does Oracle Corporation have compared to Salesforce, Inc.?
Oracle Corporation employs approximately 141,000 people, while Salesforce, Inc. employs approximately 83,334. Oracle Corporation has the larger workforce at 141,000 employees, compared to Salesforce, Inc.'s 83,334. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Oracle Corporation and Salesforce, Inc. headquartered?
Both Oracle Corporation and Salesforce, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Oracle Corporation and Salesforce, Inc.?
Oracle Corporation was founded by Lawrence Joseph Ellison, Robert Nimrod Miner, Edward A. Oates. Salesforce, Inc. was founded by Marc Benioff, Parker Harris, Dave Moellenhoff, Frank Dominguez.
Which company has a longer operating history — Oracle Corporation or Salesforce, Inc.?
Oracle Corporation has been operating for approximately 49 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Salesforce, Inc. has been in operation for around 27 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Oracle vs Salesforce overview