After Laying Off 30,000 Employees, Oracle Hires a CFO Who Managed Power Plants
Oracle, the global enterprise database giant, laid off approximately 30,000 employees, sparking widespread discussion. Shortly after, the company appointed Hilary Maxson as its new CFO with a compensation package of $297 million.
Maxson’s background is notable: she spent nearly a decade as group CFO at Schneider Electric, a major energy management firm, and previously worked for 12 years at AES Corporation, a U.S. power company. Her entire career has revolved around the energy sector—managing power plants, grids, and data center energy solutions.
This appointment signals a strategic shift for Oracle. After 12 without a dedicated CFO, the company is pivoting from its traditional software business toward cloud and AI infrastructure. Oracle’s cloud infrastructure revenue surged 84% year-over-year, with a capital expenditure budget of around $50 billion this year—almost entirely allocated to AI data center construction.
The company has secured massive contracts, including one with OpenAI exceeding $300 billion, contributing to a total backlog of $553 billion. Data centers, especially at the gigawatt scale, require enormous power—equivalent to a nuclear power plant’s output—making energy management critical.
Oracle is no longer just a software company; it’s transforming into an energy-intensive infrastructure provider. While Wall Street remains optimistic, the stock has fallen about 24% this year, reflecting investor concerns over this high-cost, capital-intensive transition. The hiring of an energy-focused CFO underscores Oracle’s new direction.
marsbit04/08 05:23
