In the latest instalment of the Peoplesoft-Oracle stoush, recently ousted CEO Craig Conway testified today in the Delaware Chancery Court that he did not deliberately lie when he incorrectly told analysts in September 2003 that all outstanding software orders had been completed. He admitted what he should have said was most of the orders had been completed.
Even though his ommission of the word "most" was corrected the next day in a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Conway has been pilloried from all quarters for his mistake. Not only has he been sacked from his job at Peoplesoft, he has been accused of committing securities fraud in court today by Oracle's counsel. It just goes to show how extra carefully one most choose one's words when one is in the top job at a large public company.