The executive changes at software maker SAP has fed an irresistible narrative in financial markets: the software egghead is yielding to the uncompromising money maker.

The European software maker SAP said its second-quarter profit fell despite growth in sales and service revenue.

Escalating its rancor with rival SAP AG, business software maker Oracle accused SAP of knowingly buying and then embracing an illegal operation set up to steal Oracle’s products and customers.