NeXT Adds Larry Ellison and Dan Case to Board of Directors

Software future reflected in choice of Oracle, Hambrecht & Quist CEOs

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 25, 1993: Solidifying its transformation into a software company, NeXT Computer, Inc. today announced the addition of two software industry leaders to its board of directors: Lawrence J. Ellison, president and CEO of Oracle Corp., and Daniel H. Chase III, president and co-CEO of Hambrecht & Quist Group. They join Steven P. Jobs, chairman and CEO, and Keiichi Uno, of Canon, Inc., on NeXT's board.

"We are very pleased to have two of the technology industry's most prominent leaders join our board," said Jobs of NeXT. "Their experience and guidance will be invaluable as we complete our transition from a workstation manufacturer to a software company. Larry and Dan will be actively involved as NeXT addresses the strategic and operations challenges of becoming the premiere supplier of object-oriented software."

Bringing experience to NeXT's board

As a software company, NeXT is capitalizing on its acclaimed NEXTSTEP software, currently the leading object-oriented software for developing and deploying mission-critical applications in client/server environments. Ellison and Case together bring nearly three decades of experience in managing and advising highly-successful software companies.

Ellison's Oracle Corp. is the third-largest software company in the world and the leader in client/server database computing. Case has spent 14 years with H&Q, which has been associated with many of the most successful companies in the software industry, including Adobe Systems and Sybase.

"It's very important for our industry that NEXTSTEP achieve the success it deserves, and I look forward to working with NeXT to make this possible." Ellison said.

"I'm excited about reuniting with Steve Jobs and am confident that NeXT is well-positioned to be the catalyst and leader in the object-oriented revolution," added Case. "I believe NEXTSTEP is significantly ahead of competing products in the race to establish the next sustainable standard in system software."

Lawrence J. Ellison

Larry Ellison has been president and CEO of Oracle corp. since he co-founded the company in 1977. Prior to founding Oracle, Ellison was vice president of systems development at Omex Corp., a pioneer in optical digital mass storage. Before that, he worked at Ampex Corp., on the adaptation of video recording technology, and prior to Ampex, he was a member of the Amdahl Corp. team that developed the first IBM plug-compatible mainframe computer. Ellison is a member of the Industry Policy Advisory Council of the U.S. Department of Commerce and was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by Harvard Business School in 1990.

Daniel H. Case III

Dan Case currently serves as president and co-CEO of Hambrecht & Quist Group where he has worked since 1979. Case's previous positions at H&Q include principal corporate finance: managing director of investment banking; and executive vice president. H&Q is well-known as an underwriter of emerging growth companies including the initial public offerings of Adobe, Apple, Genentech and Sybase, as well as for a full range of other financial services. In addition to his management responsibilities, Case personally served as lead banker on more than 60 completed underwritings, financial advisory and private placement transactions. He is a Rhodes Scholar and an honors graduate of Princeton University.

NeXT Computer, Inc.

NeXT develops and markets the industry-acclaimed NEXTSTEP object-oriented software for industry-standard computer architectures. Customers use NEXTSTEP to develop and deploy mission -critical client/server applications, using both custom and shrink-wrapped software. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, and with offices throughout the world, NeXT serves customers requiring enterprise-wide, object-oriented productivity environments.

Contact:
Karen Logsdon
NeXT Computer, Inc.
415/780-3786

Marilyn Kilinski
Ketchum Public Relations
212/536-8865