From wikipedia: It was at this time that Ed Oates[4] introduced Miner and Ellison to a paper by E. F. Codd on the relational model for database management. yet

From wikipedia: It was at this time that Ed Oates[4] introduced Miner and Ellison to a paper by E. F. Codd on the relational model for database management. yet the PDF it references says ellison did it. i think this is one of those things that will always be up for debate, as everyone is going to have a slightly different recollection of it. it doesn't matter though - no question that IBM wrote it, but oracle as a company decided to pursue it, meaning that everyone was on board. the book "the difference between god and larry ellison" goes into a lot of this detail. it was basically 3 or 4 guys doing intense technical work for several years, including larry ellison. in my opinion the book paints him as a fair businessman with a knack for over-the-top personal behavior. i don't remember it saying he ever tried to screw over his cofounders or run-of-the-mill employees. also, i don't think i've ever read him claim that he invented databases or had the initial idea to commercialize ibm's ideas. that's something that the media projects onto him since he's such a celebrity compared to his co-founders.