81-year-old Larry Ellison, the founder of a tech empire, finally reaches the ranks of the world's wealthiest.

Last September, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison became one of the world’s wealthiest individuals by adding over $100 billion in assets in just one day. Achieving this at the age of 81 was not merely a numerical change but a moment symbolizing the pinnacle of a four-decade tech empire.

This surge in wealth was no coincidence. When Oracle announced a five-year, $300 billion cloud partnership with OpenAI, the stock market reacted dramatically. The stock price soared over 40% in a single day—its largest single-day gain since 1992. At this moment, Larry Ellison’s net worth reached approximately $393 billion, pushing him past Elon Musk for the top spot among the richest.

From Orphan to Entrepreneurial Spirit: Larry Ellison’s Hidden First Asset

Larry Ellison’s life has never been smooth sailing. Born in the Bronx, New York, in 1944 to a 19-year-old single mother, he was adopted by an aunt in Chicago at nine months old. His adoptive father was an ordinary civil servant, and the family always struggled financially.

His college experience was even more tumultuous. He enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign but dropped out in his second year after his stepmother’s death. He later attended the University of Chicago but left after one semester. Formal education ended there, but that was just the beginning.

Transition to a Tech Innovator: Opening the Database Era

In the early 1970s, young Larry Ellison arrived in Berkeley, California, after wandering across the U.S. He said, “People in Berkeley seemed freer and smarter.” That choice changed his life.

While working as a programmer at Ampex Corporation, he faced a pivotal opportunity: designing a database system for a CIA project. The project was codenamed “Oracle.” Others saw it as a simple contract, but Ellison saw the market potential.

In 1977, he co-founded Software Development Laboratories (SDL) with colleagues Bob Miner and Ed Oates. The initial capital was just $2,000, of which $1,200 was invested by Ellison himself. Their strategy was clear: commercialize the relational data model developed for the CIA.

Oracle’s 40-Year Journey: Emerging from Crisis

In 1986, Oracle went public on NASDAQ. Over the next 40 years, it became a cornerstone of the enterprise software market. Ellison served as chairman from 1978 to 1996 and continued to hold executive roles afterward.

His journey was not always smooth. In 1992, he nearly lost his life in a surfing accident. That same year, Oracle lagged behind Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure in the early wave of cloud computing. Falling behind in innovation was akin to a death sentence.

But Ellison did not give up. Oracle decided to focus on its core strengths—enterprise-grade databases and deep understanding of corporate clients. From the mid-2000s, it strengthened its cloud services and began regaining market share based on existing customer trust.

The Final Stage of the AI Era: Ellison’s Wealth Explosion

What’s remarkable is Oracle’s transformation—from a “traditional software company” to a “rising AI infrastructure powerhouse.”

Last summer, Oracle made a bold move: laying off thousands from its legacy hardware and software divisions and redirecting those resources into data centers and AI infrastructure. This led to a massive partnership with OpenAI, culminating in last September’s stock surge.

In the boom of generative AI, there was a gap in supply and demand between chip manufacturer (NVIDIA) and cloud infrastructure providers. Ellison and Oracle precisely seized this opportunity, much like their early CIA database contract, recognizing the commercial value of data.

Empire and Power: The Expansion of the Ellison Family

Larry Ellison’s wealth has grown beyond the individual to a family empire. His son, David Ellison, led the acquisition of Paramount Global in 2024 for $8 billion, with $6 billion funded by the Ellison family. After tech, media became the next frontier.

His influence extended into politics as well. Ellison has long been a major donor to the Republican Party. He supported Marco Rubio’s 2015 presidential campaign and donated $15 million to Senator Tom Scott’s super PAC in 2022.

An intriguing detail is his visit to the White House last January, where he announced plans with SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Son and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to build a $500 billion AI data center network. This was not just a business proposal but a sign of expanding technological power.

The Taker’s Attitude: Extreme Self-Discipline and Bold Choices

Larry Ellison is a paradox. Opulence and self-control, adventure and rationality coexist within him.

In terms of assets, he owns 98% of Lanai Island in Hawaii, along with multiple mansions and some of the world’s finest yachts. Even after nearly dying in a surfing accident in 1992, he continued to pursue risky sports. He shifted to yacht racing, leading Oracle Team USA to a historic comeback in the America’s Cup in 2013. In 2018, he founded SailGP, a high-speed yacht league, attracting investors like actress Anne Hathaway and football star Kylian Mbappé.

Tennis is also his passion. He revived the Indian Wells tournament in California, turning it into the “fifth Grand Slam.”

What’s most astonishing is his self-discipline. In the 1990s and 2000s, he was known to exercise for hours daily. He rarely drank sugary beverages, sticking to water and green tea, maintaining a strict diet. As a result, at 81, he is said to look 20 years younger than his peers.

His personal relationships are equally unconventional. In 2024, he married Jolyn Ju, a Chinese-American woman 47 years his junior. This was first revealed in the official donation records of the University of Michigan. Ju, originally from Shenyang, China, is a Michigan graduate. Some netizens joked, “Ellison doesn’t shy away from surfing or romance.”

Promising to Share 95% of Assets: A Unique Philanthropic Philosophy

In 2010, Ellison signed the Giving Pledge, promising to donate at least 95% of his wealth. Unlike Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, he did not participate in organized fundraising. In an interview with The New York Times, he said, “I cherish solitude and am unaffected by external influences.”

His philanthropy is highly personalized. In 2016, he donated $200 million to USC to establish an cancer research center. Recently, he announced investments in healthcare, food, and climate change research through the Ellison Institute of Technology, a joint venture with Oxford University.

He declared on social media: “We will develop new drugs to save future lives, build low-cost agricultural systems, and develop efficient, clean energy.”

Conclusion: The Life of a Tech Mogul with a Rebel Spirit

At 81, Larry Ellison finally became the world’s richest person. He built a global empire by commercializing database technology from CIA projects and once again adapted swiftly amid the AI wave to achieve a comeback.

Wealth, power, marriage, sports, philanthropy—his life has been full of scandals and headlines, always centered around Larry Ellison. A stubborn, combative, uncompromising Silicon Valley rebel.

While the title of the world’s richest can change at any time, Ellison has proven that in an era where AI reshapes everything, the legacy of the old-school tech mogul is far from over. He is still playing the game, and he is still winning.