Who Is Larry Ellison? The Billionaire Oracle Co-Founder Who Surpassed Elon Musk In 2025
Larry Ellison, the co-founder, executive chairman, and chief technology officer of Oracle Corporation, officially became the world’s richest man in 2025, briefly surpassing Elon Musk before holding steady at the top, as per Bloomberg.
According Financial Times, he has an estimated net worth of over $393 billion. Ellison’s wealth story is one of ambition, resilience, and relentless pursuit of innovation.
Born on August 17, 1944, in New York City, Ellison was adopted by his aunt and uncle after his biological mother was unable to raise him. Growing up in Chicago’s South Shore neighbourhood, Ellison faced hardship and scepticism, particularly from his adoptive father. Yet, his passion for science and technology propelled him forward.
After a brief stint at the University of Illinois and later the University of Chicago, Ellison moved to California, where he immersed himself in the emerging world of computer programming.
Founding Oracle
In 1977, Ellison co-founded Software Development Laboratories (SDL) with just $2,000. Inspired by Edgar F. Codd’s research on relational databases, the company built what would become the world’s first commercial SQL database. By 1979, it was rebranded as Oracle, after a CIA project Ellison had worked on.
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Despite near bankruptcy in the early 1990s due to accounting scandals, Oracle bounced back to dominate the enterprise software space. Today, it is one of the world’s largest software companies, and Ellison remains its driving force.
Oracle’s rise in cloud computing and AI-driven technologies has been the key to Ellison’s recent wealth surge. In September 2025, Oracle stock skyrocketed after strong quarterly results, adding nearly $89 billion to Ellison’s net worth in a single day — the largest one-day wealth increase ever recorded.
Ellison is not only a software pioneer but also an avid investor and collector. He owns:
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98% of the Hawaiian island of Lānaʻi
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A sprawling Japanese-inspired Woodside estate in California
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Numerous luxury properties across Malibu, Florida, and Rhode Island
Ellison has also donated billions to medical research, universities, and philanthropic causes, including establishing the Ellison Institute of Technology.
Ellison’s story is not without controversy. From political donations and ties to high-profile leaders, to setbacks in ventures like his agriculture startup Sensei Ag, he has drawn both criticism and admiration.
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In January 2025, he appeared at the White House alongside Sam Altman of OpenAI and Masayoshi Son of SoftBank to announce the Stargate Project, a major AI infrastructure initiative.
Ellison, now 81, has been married six times. His first marriage, to Adda Quinn in 1967, ended in divorce seven years later. A second brief union with Nancy Wheeler Jenkins followed in the late 1970s, before his third marriage to Barbara Boothe, a former receptionist at Oracle’s predecessor company, brought him two children — David and Megan, both successful Hollywood film producers.
In 2003, Ellison wed romance novelist Melanie Craft in a wedding photographed by his close friend Steve Jobs. The marriage dissolved in 2010, the same year Ellison began a relationship with Ukrainian-American actress and model Nikita Kahn.
That partnership, which became his fifth marriage, lasted a decade. Since 2024, he has been married to Jolin (Keren) Ellison, a University of Michigan alumna.
Despite his indulgence in luxury, from yachts to private jets, Ellison maintains a disciplined streak. He has long abstained from alcohol and drugs, saying he “can’t stand anything that clouds my mind.”
His passion, instead, often lies in cars. Ellison’s garage has included an Audi R8, a rare McLaren F1, and a Lexus LFA, though he has described the Acura NSX as his personal favourite, once gifting the model to friends each year during its production run.
