With Conway gone and the company coming off a surprisingly strong quarter, "many shareholders seem to believe PeopleSoft's board will now have the leverage to get a higher price," said American Technology Research analyst Donovan Gow.
But Gow still suspects Duffield, who founded PeopleSoft in 1987, might have reservations about selling to Oracle, his company's fiercest foe.
Duffield, 64, has been in semiretirement in the Lake Tahoe area since turning over the reigns to Conway in 1999, but he told analysts he is ready to get back to work.
"I'm here for the long term," Duffield said. "I'm totally energized. I think it's going to be a very fun exercise and good for shareholders."
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