Larry Ellison's AI-Powered Resurgence: Oracle Co-Founder Briefly Becomes World's Richest Person
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Larry Ellison is back on top, 48 years after he co-founded Oracle
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Fortune magazine wondered on its cover whether Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison might become the world's richest person, while BusinessWeek declared Ellison is "cool again," noting that "Silicon Valley's bad boy is having his revenge." Both were published 25 years
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Larry Ellison, the tech world's great survivor
As Larry Ellison settled in for dinner at the elegant Japanese restaurant Nobu in Palo Alto last year, he was joined by his longtime friend Elon Musk. The pair had dined there together several times, but on this occasion they sat across from Nvidia's Jensen Huang. The two billionaires shared an
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Oracle's huge AI contracts fuel Larry Ellison's late-career reinvention
For years, Larry Ellison was Silicon Valley's favorite dinosaur. The Oracle co-founder mocked the cloud as a marketing gimmick while Jeff Bezos, Satya Nadella, and Sundar Pichai built empires on it. Reporters cast Ellison as the old guard: a vaguely ridiculous mogul best remembered for yachts,
[4]
Trump ally on cusp of overtaking Musk as world's richest man
The technology mogul and Donald Trump ally Larry Ellison is closing in on Elon Musk's status as the world's richest man after his fortune jumped by $81bn (£60bn) overnight. Shares in Oracle, Mr Ellison's IT giant, rose by almost 30pc after an explosion in new business linked to the AI boom. Mr
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The world's richest person: Larry Ellison briefly replaced Elon Musk
Oracle's shares soared over 40% on Wednesday before slipping slightly, boosting co-founder Larry Ellison's fortune beyond the Tesla CEO's wealth for a few hours. In a stunning few minutes after markets opened on Wednesday, stock in Larry Ellison's Oracle Corp. rocketed more than a third, enough
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Larry Ellison Is Back on Top, 48 Years After He Co-Founded Oracle
By Stephen Nellis and Akash Sriram SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Fortune magazine wondered on its cover whether Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison might become the world's richest person, while BusinessWeek declared Ellison is "cool again," noting that "Silicon Valley's bad boy is having his
[7]
Oracle stock turns 2025's multibagger after 41% surge; chairman Larry Ellison beats Elon Musk to become world's richest man
Oracle Corporation shares surged 41% in early Wednesday trade on Nasdaq, hitting a day's high of $339.68 after the company announced an AI Center of Excellence for healthcare to help organizations leverage rapid advances in artificial intelligence. The sharp rally also turned Oracle into a
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After firing thousands, Oracle's Larry Ellison could overtake Musk as the richest person today as stock skyrockets
Larry Ellison net worth 2025: Larry Ellison, the co-founder and largest shareholder of Oracle Corporation, is on the verge of overtaking Tesla CEO Elon Musk as the world's richest person today after Oracle's stock surged in premarket trading on Wednesday. The software giant's stock rose more than
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Larry Ellison is back on top, 48 years after he co-founded Oracle
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Fortune magazine wondered on its cover whether Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison might become the world's richest person, while BusinessWeek declared Ellison is "cool again," noting that "Silicon Valley's bad boy is having his revenge." Both were published 25 years ago, but
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Oracle's co-founder Larry Ellison briefly surpasses Elon Musk as the world's wealthiest person, driven by Oracle's massive AI-related contracts and cloud computing deals. This marks a significant comeback for the 81-year-old tech veteran in the AI era.
Oracle's AI-Driven Renaissance
In a remarkable turn of events, Larry Ellison, the 81-year-old co-founder of Oracle, briefly claimed the title of the world's richest person, surpassing Elon Musk. This unexpected shift in the billionaire rankings was fueled by Oracle's explosive growth in AI-related contracts and cloud computing deals
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.The $455 Billion Backlog
Oracle shocked Wall Street with an announcement of $455 billion in remaining performance obligations (RPO), representing a staggering 359% increase from the previous year
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. This massive backlog includes several multibillion-dollar deals signed in a single quarter, with OpenAI reportedly committing to a $300 billion compute contract over five years starting in 20273
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.Strategic Pivot to AI and Cloud Computing
Ellison's late-career reinvention centers on Oracle's strategic focus on AI infrastructure and cloud computing. Once skeptical of the cloud, Ellison has transformed Oracle into a key player in the AI compute space
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. The company has secured deals with major AI players, including OpenAI, xAI, Meta, Nvidia, and AMD4
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Source: ET
The Stargate Project and Infrastructure Investments
Oracle is involved in the $500 billion 'Stargate' project with OpenAI and SoftBank, demonstrating its commitment to large-scale AI infrastructure
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. The company is also investing heavily in data centers and power infrastructure, including a 1.4-gigawatt campus in Texas, to meet the growing demand for AI compute capacity3
.Ellison's Wealth Surge and Market Reaction
Oracle's stock price surged by nearly 30% following the earnings announcement, catapulting Ellison's net worth to approximately $375 billion
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. This brief overtaking of Elon Musk as the world's richest person highlights the market's enthusiasm for Oracle's AI-driven growth strategy5
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Source: FT
Challenges and Future Outlook
While Oracle's backlog is impressive, the company faces challenges in delivering on these commitments. The success of this strategy depends on Oracle's ability to build and power the necessary infrastructure on schedule
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. Additionally, the concentration of a significant portion of the backlog in a single customer (OpenAI) poses potential risks3
.Related Stories
Ellison's Influence Beyond Tech
Beyond his tech endeavors, Ellison has maintained close ties with former President Donald Trump and has made significant donations to various causes, including Sir Tony Blair's Institute for Global Change and an Oxford science and technology hub
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. His influence extends to media as well, with his family now controlling Paramount and potentially shaping the direction of CBS News1
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Source: The Telegraph
The AI Compute Race
Oracle's success underscores the intense competition for AI compute resources. Ellison's strategic dinner with Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to secure more GPUs illustrates the high stakes in this race
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. Oracle's approach of focusing on compute capacity and infrastructure, rather than software features, has positioned it as a critical player in the AI boom3
.Conclusion
Larry Ellison's resurgence as a tech powerhouse through Oracle's AI-driven strategy marks a significant chapter in Silicon Valley's history. As the AI revolution unfolds, Oracle's ability to deliver on its massive backlog of contracts will be crucial in determining whether Ellison's late-career gambit cements his legacy as one of tech's great survivors and innovators.
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