Unconfirmed reports across the Internet say Oracle has let
go of its Java evangelists, but the company has not officially
commented
InfoWorld|Sep 4, 2015
According to reports on Twitter and Reddit, Oracle has released its
staff of Java evangelists -- mere weeks before the company’s annual
JavaOne conference promoting the enterprise software development
technology.
Oracle did not respond to requests for comments on Friday morning. But a tweet this morning
attributed to kcpeppe, Java performance tuning specialists, cited the
loss of the evangelists: “Unsettling event at Oracle. All of the Java
evangelists have been let go. Sad this happened to a great dedicated
enthusiastic group.” The issue was also discussed in a Reddit thread, which cited the report as unconfirmed.
A source familiar with the situation, who requested anonymity, said at
least one member of the evangelist team had been let go and Oracle has
had recent layoffs. Also, several Oracle executives have either left or
were let go recently, the source said. “[The reduction] has nothing to
do with Java specifically.”
A check of Oracle’s recent press statements
finds no mention of a recent reduction in force. The company in June,
however, reported that total revenues, which totaled $10.7 billion, were
down 5 percent for the 2015 fourth fiscal quarter, compared to the same
time the previous year. Profits were down 24 percent from a year earlier.
The loss of Java evangelists would seem poorly timed given next month’s JavaOne conference, to be held in San Francisco. Java has been dominating language popularity indexes
and remains a prominent platform. Whether the loss of these individuals
would significantly reduce Java's profile would remain to be seen.
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