He likened Ellison to Genghis Khan, who raped and pillaged his way across Asia to create an empire that stretched from the Pacific to the Black Sea, and called him a "sociopath" and his offer "diabolical." He questioned Ellison's "integrity, honesty and ethics."

This kind of verbal frontal assault, according to testimony this week from PeopleSoft director Steven Goldby, is partly what cost Conway his job as PeopleSoft CEO last Friday.

Referring specifically to the Genghis Khan comments, Goldby told the Delwaware Chancery Court:

"They showed a style that the board did not think was reflective of the values of the company and we didn't want them repeated."

Neither, Goldby explained, did the PeopleSoft board agree with Conway's going on record to say that PeopleSoft "will never sell," and that "there's no condition, no price" at which the company would be sold. The board, Goldby told the court, disagreed with that statement.

Conway will get the chance to address Goldby's revelations today or tomorrow when he takes the stand himself. This week's court case - and next week's, as this case is expected to take all of next week too - centers on Oracle's attempt to have the court revoke PeopleSoft's various defensive "poison pill" measures, including a Customer Assurance Program which Oracle claims foists a potential $2 billion liability on any would-be acquirer of the Pleasanton, CA-based company.

Related Links: