The logic was straightforward and probably correct: Google has great tech but sucks (and has always sucked) at selling software to companies. A culture forged in an environment where your users are hundreds of millions of anonymous, low value individuals rather than e.g. a single CEO who will sign a $100M deal with you if he likes the cut of your jib means Google always under-valued relationship building.
The exception was their ad sales department, which under Nikesh Arora did develop a capability to build and sign large ad deals. But it took a long time because you didn't really need that for text ads, only for stuff like "rent the YouTube homepage for a day".
But for everything else they didn't really have it or care about it, institutionally.
Now look at Oracle. Weak tech, huge experience in high-touch enterprise sales. And say what you like about Oracle but they have an enormous customer base and are deeply entrenched for valid reasons. So combine Oracle's sales and relationship-oriented culture with Google's raw tech prowess and you have a potentially great combination.
