Image of Larry Ellison

Larry Ellison

Person

Founder of Oracle and a significant GOP donor. He is seen as empowering his son, David Ellison, to build a major media empire, which may include acquiring TikTok.


First Mentioned

9/20/2025, 2:33:49 AM

Last Updated

9/20/2025, 2:40:51 AM

Research Retrieved

9/20/2025, 2:40:51 AM

Summary

Larry Ellison is a highly influential American businessman and entrepreneur, best known as the co-founder of Oracle Corporation, where he served as CEO from 1977 to 2014 and currently holds roles as Executive Chairman and Chief Technology Officer. He is a key figure in the "Ellison Media Empire," reportedly driving significant media consolidation alongside his son, David Ellison of Skydance, through potential mergers and acquisitions involving major entities like Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. Furthermore, Oracle's potential acquisition of TikTok is a notable development, which would grant them control over the powerful Monolith algorithm, underscoring Ellison's continued impact on the evolving digital and media landscape.

Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Name

    Larry Ellison

  • Education

    University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Champaign (did not graduate from either)

  • Occupation

    Businessman, Entrepreneur, Software Executive

  • Citizenship

    United States

  • Date of Birth

    1944-08-17

  • Place of Birth

    The Bronx, New York City, New York, United States

  • Notable Achievement

    Purchased 98% of Lanai island (2012)

  • Former Role at Oracle

    CEO (1977-2014), President (1978-1996), Chairman of the Board (1990-1992, 1995-2004)

  • Current Role at Oracle

    Executive Chairman, Chief Technology Officer

  • Net Worth (as of 2025-09-10)

    $364 billion (Bloomberg Billionaires Index), briefly $393 billion (Financial Times)

Timeline
  • Born in The Bronx, New York City, New York. (Source: wikidata, web_search_results)

    1944-08-17

  • Cofounded Oracle Corporation. (Source: web_search_results)

    1977

  • Began tenure as CEO of Oracle Corporation, a role he held until 2014. (Source: web_search_results)

    1977

  • Began tenure as President of Oracle, a role he held until 1996. (Source: web_search_results)

    1978

  • Began his first stint as Chairman of the Board of Oracle, which lasted until 1992. (Source: web_search_results)

    1990

  • First listed as a billionaire by Forbes. (Source: web_search_results)

    1993

  • Began his second stint as Chairman of the Board of Oracle, which lasted until 2004. (Source: web_search_results)

    1995

  • Ranked 4th on Forbes' annual list of wealthiest people with an estimated fortune of $26 billion. (Source: web_search_results)

    2001

  • Oracle began a series of strategic acquisitions, spending over $25 billion in three years to increase market share. (Source: web_search_results)

    2004

  • Founded a team that won the America's Cup. (Source: web_search_results)

    2010

  • Purchased nearly all of the Hawaiian island of Lanai. (Source: web_search_results)

    2012

  • Listed on the Forbes list of billionaires as the third richest American citizen with a net worth of $44 billion. (Source: web_search_results)

    2012-09

  • Relinquished the role of CEO of Oracle, entrusting the post to longtime associates, and assumed the roles of Executive Chairman and Chief Technology Officer. (Source: web_search_results)

    2014

  • Ranked as the fifth wealthiest person in the world. (Source: web_search_results)

    2014

  • His net worth soared by $70 billion in one day, reaching $364 billion, and he was briefly the wealthiest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $393 billion, driven by AI demand for cloud computing. (Source: web_search_results)

    2025-09-10

  • Driving media consolidation with his son, David Ellison, through potential mergers and acquisitions of entities like Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. (Source: summary, related_documents)

    Ongoing

  • Oracle is involved in a potential acquisition of TikTok, which would place the powerful Monolith algorithm under their control. (Source: summary, related_documents)

    Ongoing

Web Search Results
  • Larry Ellison | Oracle Cofounder, AI Advocate, & Media ...

    Larry Ellison (born August 17, 1944, New York City, New York) is an American businessman and entrepreneur who cofounded the software company Oracle Corporation (ORCL) and was its chief executive officer (CEO) from 1977 to 2014. As of 2025, he was the company’s executive chair and chief technology officer (CTO). Early life and education [...] Known for his aggressive business style and conspicuous spending, Ellison was long regarded as one of Silicon Valley’s most divisive figures. An avid yachtsman, he founded a team that won the America’s Cup in 2010, and in 2012 he purchased nearly all of the Hawaiian island of Lanai. His career came to be seen as spanning two eras of modern business, from the rise of enterprise software to the global expansion of AI and digital media. Erik GregersenMark Hall Image 10: Britannica Money Logo [...] Larry Ellison became recognized as one of the world’s richest individuals in the early 1990s. _Forbes_ first listed him as a billionaire in 1993, and by the end of that decade he was regularly ranked among the top 10 to 20 wealthiest people worldwide. In 2001, he was ranked fourth on _Forbes_’s annual list, with an estimated fortune of $26 billion, and through the 2000s and 2010s he continued to place near the top of global billionaire rankings compiled by _Forbes_ and the Bloomberg

  • Larry Ellison: From College Dropout to Billionaire Oracle ...

    Name: Larry Ellison Birth Year: 1944 Birth date: August 17, 1944 Birth State: New York Birth City: Bronx Birth Country: United States Gender: male Best Known For: Larry Ellison is the founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation, which earned him a spot as fifth wealthiest person in the world in 2014. Industries + Business and Industry Astrological Sign: Leo Schools + University of Chicago + University of Illinois at Champaign Nacionalities + American Interesting Facts [...] Skip to Content 1. Famous Business Leaders 2. Entrepreneurs 3. Larry Ellison # Larry Ellison Larry Ellison is the founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation, which earned him a spot as fifth wealthiest person in the world in 2014. By Biography.com Editors Getty Images (1944-) ## Background and Early Career [...] Larry Ellison was born in the Bronx, New York, on August 17, 1944, to single mother Florence Spellman. When he was nine months old, Ellison came down with pneumonia, and his mother sent him to Chicago to be raised by her aunt and uncle, Lillian and Louis Ellison, who adopted the baby.

  • Larry J. Ellison

    Larry Ellison served as President of Oracle from 1978 to 1996, and undertook two stints as Chairman of the Board, from 1990 to 1992 and again from 1995 to 2004. For the company’s first 37 years, he was Oracle’s only chief executive officer. In 2014, he relinquished the role of CEO, entrusting the post to two longtime associates. He now holds the role of Executive Chairman and continues to serve as Chief Technology Officer. He remains the company’s most visible spokesperson. [...] value, and its largest shareholder, founder and CEO Larry Ellison, came close to a long-cherished goal, surpassing Microsoft founder Bill Gates to become the richest man in the world. Beginning in 2004, Ellison set out to increase Oracle’s market share through a series of strategic acquisitions. Oracle spent more than $25 billion in only three years to buy a flock of companies and large and small makers of software for managing data, identity, retail inventory and logistics. The first major [...] Lawrence J. Ellison was born in the Bronx, New York. At nine months, he contracted pneumonia, and his unmarried 19-year-old mother gave him to her aunt and uncle in Chicago to raise. Lawrence was raised in a two-bedroom apartment on the city’s South Side. Until he was twelve years old he did not know that he was adopted. His adoptive father had lost his real estate business in the Great Depression and made a modest living as an auditor for the public housing authority. As a boy, Larry Ellison

  • Larry Ellison

    Ellison is a licensed pilot who has owned several aircraft.( He was cited by the city of San Jose, California, for violating its limits on late-night takeoffs and landings from San Jose Mineta International Airport by planes weighing more than 75,000 pounds (34,019 kg). In January 2000, Ellison sued over the interpretation of the airport rule, contending that his Gulfstream V aircraft "is certified by the manufacturer to fly at two weights: 75,000 pounds, and at 90,000 pounds for heavier loads [...] richest American, with a net worth of about $36.5 billion. In September 2012, Ellison was again listed on the _Forbes_ list of billionaires as the third richest American citizen, behind Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, with a net worth of $44 billion. In October 2012, he was listed just behind David Hamilton Koch as the eighth richest person in the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.( Ellison owns stakes in Salesforce.com, NetSuite, Quark Biotechnology Inc. and Astex [...] On September 10, 2025, Ellison was briefly the wealthiest person in the world, according to the _Financial Times_, with an estimated net worth of US$393 billion.( Ellison is also known for his ownership of 98 percent of Lānaʻi, the sixth-largest island in the Hawaiian Islands.( Early life and education [edit]

  • Larry Ellison rivals Elon Musk as world's richest man after ... - YouTube

    Well, we start in the world of tech where we're well used to huge numbers and super rich tycoons, but today we're on track for a new record, even by those lofty standards. Veteran tech boss Larry Ellison, founder and top shareholder of software giant Oracle, has seen his net worth sore by $70 billion in one day. You heard that right. That's after Oracle reported surging revenues after the Wall Street bell driven by AI demand for cloud computing. Mr. Ellison now has a net worth of $364 billion [...] ### Description 7237 views Posted: 10 Sep 2025 Founder of software giant Oracle Larry Ellison has seen his net worth soar by nearly $70bn (£51bn) in one day. Oracle reported surging revenues driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and credited an increase in demand for cloud computing. Ellison now has a net worth of $364bn, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which puts him in striking distance of overtaking Elon Musk to become the world's richest man. Subscribe here: [...] all here at Business Today, Russ Mold, investment director at AJ Bell. Russ, great to have you with us. Um, Larry Ellison will be familiar to some from the 80s, a big name in tech and proving he's still got his finger on the pulse. Yeah, I mean, Oracle was is has always traditionally been a a business software publishing business and a very good one, too, I may say. But where the excitement is now is that it's getting into data centers, servers, and providing cloud computing power to help fuel