Hey everybody, some news: January 31st is my last day as an Oracle employee. In other words, I have left Oracle after my second stint there, this time lasting almost 7 years. Here's a thread explaining my decision.

First, rest assured: the Dev Gym and AskTOM will carry on as before, led by @chrisrsaxon and @connor_mc_d, supported ably by a superb APEX developer named Eli Feuerstein. :-)

I re-joined Oracle in 2014 with the intention that it would be my last software job before retirement. Didn't quite work out that way. But hey! I stayed longer than the originally intended four years.  For many excellent reasons:

My boss at Oracle was @MikeHichwa1, Michael Hichwa. Mike, you were the best manager I ever had. Oracle is so lucky to have and keep you, and it was an absolute honor to build a Developer Advocates team under your leadership.

I've never met anyone so dedicated to both their users and their company. and with such a strong commitment to excellence. That perspective permeates Mike's entire organization and has spread across the company. Go #orclapex! Go @oraclesqldev! Go @OracleLiveSQL! (& so much more)

In a company where culture is set from the top by Larry Ellison, aka, "Mr. Transactional", that is no small accomplishment. It's just what happens when the opportunity arises to follow an inspiring leader who asks no more of anyone else than he does himself.

My work at Oracle allowed me to continue to enjoy - and help others enjoy - the PL/SQL language specifically and Oracle Database more generally. But it was even better than that: I got to build websites with #orclapex and work directly with the team that builds this amazing tool.

And, really, best of all, I was given the opportunity to hire a group of world-class developer advocates: @BlaineCarter @ChrisRSaxon @Connor_mc_d and @DanMcghan. Their impact is being felt in many ways inside and outside the company, and will do so for years to come.

So why would I leave? Mainly I didn't stick with Oracle because by the end of 2020 - and certainly continuing into 2021 - I could no longer tolerate accepting a paycheck from supporters or enablers of Donald J. Trump.

Which, as I pondered writing this thread, means that I have now felt compelled to leave Oracle TWICE because of the actions of Larry Ellison.

Back in 1992, I resigned my job at Oracle because Larry fired Mike Fields, then President of Oracle USA. Mike was at that time the highest "ranking" African American in a major software company. But he missed his number by a hair and Larry summarily dismissed him.

Fields also put together a team of consultants to build internal applications for his organization using SQL*Forms. I was invited to join that team because I'd built one of the first contact management apps used inside the company (TeamSell)- even tho I was in pre-sales.

Exciting times! I so clearly remember flying to HQ, having breakfast with Mike Fields in the Sofitel dining room, discussing my future. Then 2 days later, excitement turned to ashes and I was told to go back out on to the road to help sell. No thanks, I said, and quit.

I took the first job offer that came along, becoming a consultant for SSC, a small firm run by a truly remarkable and unique fellow, Bill Hinman.

Three years later, Oracle PL/SQL Programming was published by OReilly Media, and much to my amazement, my life's path (job wise) was set for the next almost 26 years. Wow.

Which brings me to 2021. Donald Trump and the GOP are bent on undermining the rule of law and destroying our democracy. Not a matter of left or right anymore (and hasn't been for a loooooong time - but with the Jan 6 insurrection, well, now it is - or should be - clear to all).

It's now a question of whether each of us are committed to democracy, rule of law, and to each other.

We get to choose: America or Donald. The planet or Donald.

Sadly, Larry Ellison and Safra Catz have both provided financial support to Trump or his acolytes (like Lindsey Graham). Larry made one of his golf course properties available to Trump for a big ticket fundraiser.

Perhaps even worse they have aligned Oracle with Trump publicly, as they seek to gain traction in the Cloud Wars (remember TikTok?). And maybe worst of all, Larry was involved in the horrific, misguided promotion of hydroxychloroquine as a cure for COVID19.

I've pleaded with them both, privately & then most lately publicly, to distance themselves from this true enemy of our people and our planet, to make clear their opposition to Trump's dangerous attacks. Never got a response, they have not done anything. So it's time for me to go.

You'll see an announcement soon about my next move. Suffice it to say that I have not yet been able to give up my addition to PL/SQL, SQL, Oracle Database and APEX.

For now, I'd like to express my gratitude to Andy Mendelsohn and Mike Hichwa for their support of my efforts at Oracle. Oracle Database and APEX are amazing and important pieces of software. It's been a privilege to be given an opportunity to help our users make the most of them.

My deepest thanks to the many hard-working Oracle employees who are 100% dedicated to the success of their customers - and often struggle against obstacles within the company to make that happen.

I hope the leadership of Oracle Corporation will get their heads out of the sand, and condemn Donald Trump.
Who knows? Maybe that, and a change in leadership, will turn Oracle into a company that prioritizes the well-being and success of both its customers and its employees

Ah one last thing: you can reach me anytime via email at steven dot feuerstein at http://gmail.com .