Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems in 2010, adding Java and Solaris to its portfolio. The approximately $7.4 billion deal gave Oracle control of Sun’s hardware, operating systems, databases, and software technologies.
Sun had developed Java, one of the world’s most influential programming languages, and Solaris, a Unix operating system used extensively in enterprise computing. Oracle already specialized in database software, so the acquisition expanded its reach across the technology stack.
The transaction attracted regulatory scrutiny, especially in the European Union, because Oracle and Sun were major database-software participants. A common mistake is to say IBM bought Sun; IBM had discussed acquiring Sun earlier, but Oracle completed the purchase.