Larry Ellison may not dominate headlines the way Elon Musk does, but this week, the Oracle co-founder quietly overtook Musk to become the world’s richest person.
His fortune soared to $393 billion after Oracle’s stock surged on bold AI-driven forecasts, cementing his place as one of the most powerful — and intriguing — figures in Silicon Valley.
So who is Larry Ellison, and how did he build an empire that now eclipses even Tesla’s Elon Musk?
From Chicago to Silicon Valley: A Self-Made Journey
Born in 1944 in New York to an unwed mother and adopted by relatives in Chicago, Ellison grew up far from the trappings of wealth.
He didn’t meet his biological mother again until his mid-40s. His academic career was unconventional: he dropped out of both the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago but left with a fascination for computer design.
That passion led him to California, where in 1977 he co-founded Oracle. What started as a small database project grew into a software giant that would come to dominate enterprise computing and later expand into cloud services.
Today, Oracle is the world’s fourth-largest software company, trailing only Microsoft, Apple, and Google’s parent company Alphabet.
Ellison’s reputation isn’t just built on business — it’s also tied to his extravagant lifestyle. Over the decades, he has spent hundreds of millions on yachts, aircraft, real estate, and even entire islands.
Among his more notable purchases: a $200 million Japanese-inspired villa near Palo Alto and the Hawaiian island of Lanai, which he has tried to transform into a model for sustainability.
The New York Times once described him as the Silicon Valley executive who “really knew how to have a good time.” His personal life has been just as colorful, with multiple marriages and divorces adding to his public persona.
Ellison Today: AI, Politics, and Legacy
Now 81, Ellison serves as Oracle’s chairman and chief technology officer, remaining deeply involved in the company’s strategic direction.
His focus has shifted squarely toward artificial intelligence. Under his leadership, Oracle has signed multibillion-dollar deals with OpenAI, xAI, and Meta, betting that AI-driven cloud computing will define the next era of technology.
Ellison has also made headlines for his political alliances, particularly his support for Donald Trump.
He has attended White House events, backed major acquisitions like Paramount, and even entertained speculation about buying TikTok.
Looking ahead, Ellison envisions AI as a force for societal transformation — from curing diseases to analyzing real-time data on a massive scale. “I think this will make for a happier citizenry,” he told former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
More Than the Richest Man
Larry Ellison’s rise is more than a story about money. It’s about resilience, reinvention, and a relentless belief in technology’s power to change the world.
Whether he remains atop the billionaire rankings or not, Ellison’s journey from adopted Chicago kid to Silicon Valley legend makes him one of the most fascinating figures in modern business.
