Reporters caught up with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in Moscow to get his take on Oracle's deal to buy Sun Microsystems for US$7.4 billion.
But apparently Ballmer, who is rarely at a loss for words, didn't exactly have a sound byte at the ready.
"I need to think about it," Ballmer told reporters in Moscow, according to Reuters. "I am very surprised."
Word is that Ballmer wasn't the only one surprised by Monday's deal. According to a source, IBM hadn't given up on purchasing Sun and was blindsided by Oracle's move.
Oracle is, of course, one of Microsoft's chief rivals in the database and business applications space--a fact that Ballmer highlighted in an interview in February. Sun is also a longtime rival, although the two companies have had a technology partnership in recent years stemming from their settlement of legal hostilities back in 2004.
We'll probably hear far more from Ballmer and Microsoft in the coming days and weeks.
This article was first published as a blog post on CNET News.
Play video
Ballmer, IBM reportedly surprised by Oracle-Sun deal
"We'll probably hear far more from Ballmer"
The sound of timbling chairs?
Posted by anonymous on Wednesday, April 22 2009 12:55 AM