Larry Ellison’s breakout
at the age of 81
At 81, Ellison is not only a testament to the enduring power of tech minds, but also a rare acumen in grasping the times. The rise of Oracle in the era of cloud computing and artificial intelligence is the launch pad that brought him back to the global spotlight, competing directly with seemingly “insurmountable” names such as Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos.
Born in 1944 in the Bronx, New York, Larry Ellison did not have a happy childhood. Abandoned by his biological parents, he grew up in the arms of his adoptive aunt in Chicago. Ellison’s youth was marked by years of illiteracy, and he dropped out of both the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago before finding his passion for programming.
In 1977, with only $2,000 in hand and two partners Bob Miner and Ed Oates, Ellison founded a small software company. Their first major project was called “Oracle”, which was commissioned by the CIA to develop a database. That name later became a global brand, associated with Ellison’s entire career.
Oracle officially went public in 1986, paving the way for Ellison to become one of the brightest faces of the 90s technology world. But what made his mark was not only his database products, but also his bold acquisition strategy .
For more than three decades, Ellison has led Oracle through a series of high-profile acquisitions: PeopleSoft, Sun Microsystems, BEA Systems, and dozens of other companies. The total value of the deals exceeded $400 billion, transforming Oracle into a giant in the field of enterprise databases, then expanding into cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
Thanks to its boldness and long-term vision, Oracle today stands on par with Microsoft, Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud in the global cloud computing services market.
On September 10, 2025, Oracle announced quarterly business results that far exceeded forecasts thanks to the AI-cloud segment. Immediately, the company’s stock skyrocketed nearly 40% in just one session, increasing Larry Ellison’s assets by nearly $100 billion. This is the largest one-day increase in assets ever recorded in the history of billionaire rankings.
As a result, Ellison temporarily surpassed Elon Musk to become the richest person in the world. Although Musk later regained the top spot, Ellison still held on to second place with a net worth of approximately $383–393 billion, far ahead of Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg.
Incredibly, the vast majority of this wealth comes from Ellison’s stake in Oracle – around 41% of the company. In the age of AI, one step in the right direction could make the 81-year-old a formidable contender at the top of the global financial pyramid.
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