I believe Business Objects is on the cusp of becoming a

The words of Bernard Liautaud, “I believe Business Objects is on the cusp of becoming a multi-billion-dollar sales company. There is tremendous growth potential for business intelligence,” stand as both prophecy and philosophy. They speak not merely of a company’s success, but of the dawning of a new era—an age in which knowledge becomes the most powerful currency in the world of commerce. Beneath these words lies the conviction of a visionary, one who looked upon the raw chaos of data and saw within it the seeds of wisdom, wealth, and transformation. For Liautaud was not just forecasting profit; he was heralding the rise of Business Intelligence—the art of turning information into insight, and insight into destiny.

To understand the origin of this quote, we must return to the 1990s, a time when computers had begun to conquer the world, but their data remained like gold buried beneath the earth—vast, inaccessible, and inert. Bernard Liautaud, the founder of Business Objects, saw what others could not: that companies possessed oceans of data but lacked the intelligence to read their own depths. His creation was not simply software; it was a mirror for the modern enterprise—a way to see itself clearly for the first time. When he spoke of “tremendous growth potential,” he was not boasting of revenue alone; he was affirming a truth that has since shaped the destiny of the digital age: those who understand their information rule their future.

Liautaud’s words echo the wisdom of the ancients, for even in the earliest civilizations, the value of intelligence was known. In the courts of the Pharaohs, in the empires of Rome and China, those who mastered the art of information—spies, scribes, and scholars—became the architects of empire. The power of the sword was fleeting, but the power of knowledge endured. The generals of old relied on scouts and informants to map their enemies; the kings relied on wise counselors to read omens and harvests. So too, in the modern age, the rulers of commerce rely on Business Intelligence—the ability to gather, interpret, and act upon truth hidden in numbers. Liautaud’s vision was the continuation of this eternal principle: that power flows not from might, but from understanding.

In this light, his quote is not a statement of mere ambition, but a hymn to clarity. When he said that Business Objects was “on the cusp” of greatness, he was acknowledging that all creation stands first at the edge of doubt. Every great endeavor begins with uncertainty, yet those who possess vision cross the threshold and transform uncertainty into triumph. The “multi-billion-dollar company” he foresaw was not only a financial success but a symbol of human progress—the triumph of mind over confusion, of structure over chaos. Through Business Intelligence, humanity began to harness the vastness of its own creation, making meaning from the noise of its machines.

Consider the story of the Library of Alexandria, that legendary beacon of human knowledge. Within its walls, scholars gathered the wisdom of the ancient world—scrolls on science, philosophy, and trade. It was said that any ship docking in Alexandria had its manuscripts copied and stored in the library’s collection. The rulers understood what Liautaud would understand millennia later: that information, properly gathered and interpreted, is civilization’s greatest asset. When the library was lost, a darkness fell over learning that lasted for centuries. In our time, the work of Business Intelligence—of companies like Business Objects—represents a kind of modern rebuilding of that ancient library, not in marble halls, but in digital ones, where data becomes the new scroll, and insight the new flame.

But Liautaud’s insight goes beyond technology; it speaks to the spirit of innovation. To believe in “tremendous growth potential” is to believe in the infinite possibility of human creation. Every industry, every idea, every invention begins as unseen potential—raw, undefined, waiting for a mind brave enough to recognize it. Liautaud’s faith in his company mirrors the faith that every creator, every entrepreneur, every thinker must have: the faith that their idea, if nurtured with discipline and vision, can reshape the world. His success—Business Objects becoming one of the most influential software companies of its time—was not an accident of business, but a triumph of belief.

From these words, a lesson emerges for all who listen: wisdom is wealth, and to grow, one must learn to see. Just as Liautaud looked at the invisible patterns of data and found fortune, so too must we look deeply into our own lives, our work, and our world. Seek the truths that others overlook. Do not fear the complexity of things; instead, embrace it as the raw material of discovery. For every challenge hides within it the potential for mastery, and every moment of confusion is a chance for clarity.

Thus, the teaching of Bernard Liautaud endures beyond business—it is the teaching of vision itself. To those who dream, he says: believe in the unseen; invest in understanding; build not merely for profit, but for purpose. For the greatest companies, like the greatest civilizations, are not built by chance or strength alone, but by intelligence—the quiet, steadfast light that transforms data into wisdom and vision into destiny.