Given some of Larry's previous viewpoints (specifically on cloud, although it seems they've done an about-face recently) I think it is easy for Oracle to see Java as just another product. They have vast armadas of user groups already associated with their products, but make no mistake, in their eyes the word has to come from on high what to do with the product. Everyone else just gets to study what they do.
What people miss is Oracle's customer isn't the small guy. Until you get Walmart or Amazon or someone escalating Java issues, the importance of it internally won't increase.
Larry Ellison worrying about people not liking him? I have the impression he revels in it.