Oracle grappled for months over disclosure of CEO hurd’s illness

Oracle Corp. said Chief Executive Officer Mark Hurd is taking a leave of absence for unspecified health-related reasons, disclosing the move along with quarterly earnings on Wednesday afternoon.

The software company made the announcement a day earlier than the results were scheduled to be released, after Bloomberg News contacted Oracle in relation to a story about the executive’s health.

The company grappled for more than a year with one of the most harrowing dilemmas a corporation can face: when – and whether – to disclose a serious illness that has befallen a senior executive.