Oracle's Larry Ellison: Apple Is Going Down Without Steve Jobs

August 13th, 2013 4:05 PM

Oracle founder and CEO Larry Ellison said some amazing things about his former bestfriend Steve Jobs Monday while issuing a caution about Apple's future without him

Appearing on CBS This Morning, Ellison said, "He's irreplaceable...They will not nearly be so successful because he's gone."

CHARLIE ROSE, HOST: Let's talk about Steve Jobs.

LARRY ELLISON, CEO ORACLE: Yeah, my best friend for 25 years.

ROSE: What is it about him? We recognize the fact that he loved Apple and he wanted to make Apple great. And he did. But what was it about him that enabled him to do it other than he worked hard?

ELLISON: He was brilliant. I mean, he was our Edison. He was our Picasso. He was an incredible inventor.

ROSE: So what happens to Apple without Steve?

ELLISON: Well, we already know.

ROSE: What?

ELLISON: We saw, we conducted the experiment and it's been done. We saw Apple with Steve Jobs. We saw Apple without Steve jobs. We saw Apple with Steve Jobs. Now, we're going to see Apple without Steve Jobs.

ROSE: So you're shorting Apple?

ELLISON: I’m not shorting Apple. I think, I like Tim Cook, and I think there are a lot of talented people over there, but Steve is irreplaceable.

ROSE: You just said Apple is going down without Steve Jobs? That’s exactly what you said.

ELLISON: Yeah, they are.

ROSE: Apple is going down without Steve Jobs.

ELLISON: Okay, okay, I'll say it publicly: he's irreplaceable. Yeah. I don’t see how they can, they will not nearly be so successful because he's gone.