Struck by virus, Ellison a no-show at RSA

Larry Ellison was a no-show at the RSA Conference on Wednesday. The normally flamboyant Oracle CEO was struck by the flu virus and couldn't make it to his first-ever keynote speech at the security conference.

"As you all see, I am not Larry Ellison," Hasan Rizvi, vice president of identity management and security products at Oracle, said as lights turned up in the keynote hall at San Francisco's Moscone center. "He tried to the last minute to make it here, but unfortunately he will not able to make it. Hopefully he will talk to you next year."

Upon the announcement, several dozen RSA Conference attendees got up and left the room. Rizvi continued to deliver a speech promoting Oracle's identity management and security products.

Ellison's speech was highly anticipated. Industry insiders had said the talk could help Oracle's get its security message out to a broad audience and improve its security reputation, which has been under fire in recent years.

Oracle paid $220,000 to be one of nine "platinum sponsors" of the RSA Conference.