"I'm like an actor in a soap opera who plays himself" - Ellison

Once every six months or so Larry Ellison grants an interview with a UK broadsheet, passing judgement on anything and everything - some of it even IT-related.

In the latest instalment of the Wit & Wisdom of Larry Ellison, the Oracle boss takes issue with SAP, IBM, his public persona and the mistake every IT department is making.

Here, then, are some of the things he told yesterday's Sunday Times:

Ellison on the mistakes of the IT Department
"We know there is such a massive inefficiency the way companies are running their systems. They buy them all wrong. Companies have all these different systems and they try to glue them together."

Ellison on 'vanishing' rivals
"These best-of-breed competitors - Ariba, Commerce One and i2 - are in the process of vanishing. Siebel, I predict, will be the next huge crash."

Ellison on SAP
"For years SAP said we were crazy. 'Oracle is going to try and build all these pieces themselves. That's wrong.' ... [Now] SAP has publicly endorsed our strategy. The problem is it's three years late."

Ellison on IBM
"As its hardware business gets smaller, and its software business gets smaller, its only growing business is glue - guys with glue."

Ellison makes a promise
"Let's say you spend $10m a year on IT. We guarantee you that after one year you won't be spending $10m to run your systems you'll be spending $9.5m. After two years it'll be $9m, and after three years $8.5m."

Ellison on 'media' Ellison
"It's strange, like I am an actor in a soap opera who plays himself."

For more on Ellison and Oracle, click here
Oracle takes the wraps off 11i prices
http://www.silicon.com/a50530
Ellison: Give me control of your budgets
http://www.silicon.com/a50520
Bunch of Fives: 5 database stories you really should read
http://www.silicon.com/a50158
Ellison to Gates: 'We've got mail'
http://www.silicon.com/a49083