Schwartz: We've got those bastards at IBM right where we want them

Yes, the ultimate conquest is about to take place, as Sun launches a daring reverse takeover of IBM and completes its journey to rule the industry. This anyway is how I expect MLP might position the deal. Sure, IBM will try to describe it as buying up a weaker rival for a few billion dollars. But internally, the Kool-Aid drinkers at Sun will know better — what’s really happening is that IBM is finally waving the white flag of surrender, and Sun is just letting them save face. We’ll hear all about the incredible synergies, like how well MySQL (bought for $1 billion) will work with DB2 (ahem). Sadly I’ve been covering this stuff long enough to remember when Sun really did have the upper hand in this market and used to delight in bitch-slapping IBM around in the press. Like this story I did in 1999, where a Sun exec crowed that, “IBM’s problem isn’t Y2K. It’s S-U-N.” 

UPDATE: Much love to dear reader Fred Wilson (could it be the Fred Wilson?) who Photoshopped a ponytail onto the tiger tamer.