Oracle’s Hurd Touts Apps, Plays Down AWS Threat

Oracle CEO Mark Hurd would prefer not to talk about Amazon.

In an interview with The Information, Mr. Hurd was eager to discuss another topic, Oracle’s applications for running corporate finances and other back-office functions, which are showing strong growth. But he bristled when asked about Amazon, which is becoming an increasingly significant supplier of software and services to businesses. He scoffed at the suggestion that Amazon’s database offerings, which run in the cloud rather than on corporate customers’ own computers, could one day represent a serious threat to Oracle’s signature product.