Oracle CEO Safra Catz is not just overseeing one of the most significant growth phases the tech giant has ever seen; she is vigorously pushing for transformation across entire industries. During her recent interview as part of the Cloud Wars Top 10 CEO Outlook 2025 series with Cloud Wars Founder Bob Evans, Catz elaborated on the company's strategic direction, emphasizing the pivotal role of cloud technology and AI as transformative forces for businesses and civilizations alike.
Catz reiterated the importance of businesses remaining adaptable, stating, "Transformation and modernizing yourself—that's not a destination; it's a constant. Anytime you stop, your competitors are going to pass you." With the cloud business growing at about 50% annually, she noted increasing boldness among customers who are willing to fully immerse themselves in these technological advancements.
Central to Oracle’s growth strategy are its multi-cloud agreements forged with major players like Microsoft, Google Cloud, and AWS. Catz stated, "We have always believed the customer should get to choose what they want to use and what environment they want to run in." This openness is key to Oracle's success, allowing it to provide versatile solutions to its customers.
One area where Oracle is particularly focusing its energies is the healthcare sector, which Catz sees as needing revolutionary changes. With the company’s recent acquisition of Cerner, Oracle aims to redefine how healthcare technology is deployed. "We knew we needed to bring healthcare to the 21st century," Catz indicated, highlighting the fragmented technology currently found in healthcare settings. "Anyone who goes to the hospital or doctor sees this; doctors spend excessive time on administrative tasks instead of focusing on patient care. Now, we can provide systems to help them record interactions and assist with recommendations," she said.
At Oracle's financial analyst meeting last fall, Catz unveiled ambitious revenue goals, describing the aim of reaching $100 billion within the next few years. She is confident about the roadmap for accelerated growth, declaring, "We’re telling you now, every year is going to be bigger and accelerating more. The way the curve works is almost unstoppable once it starts." This ambitious vision reflects her belief in the convergence of increased cloud adoption and the relentless technological evolution led by Oracle.
Oracle is also innovatively transforming data center capabilities, creating facilities "small enough to go on a ship" and the largest data centers attempted worldwide. Catz elaborated, "This gives them flexibility; we can start at any size and expand as they need it," ensuring Oracle can cater to various customer needs and facilitate seamless scalability.
The momentum Oracle has built under Catz's leadership is visible not only within the cloud domain but across all sectors the company serves. She stated, "Today, we’re seeing incredible prosperity, improvement in productivity, and how we meet and even exceed customer expectations." This zeal is partly fueled by the wake of the COVID pandemic, which pushed many organizations to embrace change, prompting them to leverage their resources effectively to maximize customer experiences.
Reflecting on this dynamic, Catz notes, "Many learned during COVID but were afraid to move all the way in. Now they’ve built confidence and they’re going to go all the way." The shift she references is evident, as increasingly, companies are migrating beyond basic cloud infrastructures to pursue comprehensive cloud solutions.
Looking forward, Catz’s vision is clear: Oracle will not only contribute to the tech evolution but will also redefine how industries function—particularly healthcare, where lives are at stake. With unwavering enthusiasm she emphasized, "When you're in healthcare, you're actually saving lives!" This motivating force drives the company’s mission, fostering excitement and engagement among employees who feel empowered to be part of transformative solutions.
"This fellow does not rest," Catz remarked humorously about Larry Ellison, Oracle's Chairman and CTO, as she conveyed her excitement about the relentless pace of innovation underway at Oracle. With significant events like the AI Agent & Copilot Summit planned for 2025, it’s clear Oracle aims to lead the way, not just keeping pace with change but actively shaping it.
Through her insights, Catz foreshadows not just Oracle's future but also the future of industries globally. She encapsulates her philosophy well, stating, "Whole civilizations survive or disappear based on their adaptability to new conditions and capabilities." Oracle's path forward, under her guidance, appears not just about technology but about the broader imperative of survival and growth in today's radically shifting economic and industrial landscapes.