Larry Ellison
Born 1944 · Age 81
American businessman and entrepreneur; co‑founder of Oracle Corporation; long‑time CEO (1977–2014), now executive chairman and CTO; major investor, yachtsman and philanthropist.
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Life & Career Timeline
Birth in New York City
Born Lawrence Joseph Ellison in the Bronx, New York City to Florence Spellman (unwed mother).
Placed for adoption
At nine months, after pneumonia, his mother gave him to her aunt and uncle in Chicago (Lillian and Louis Ellison) who adopted him.
Refused bar mitzvah
Raised in a Reform Jewish home but refused to have a bar mitzvah at age 13; early sign of religious skepticism.
Admitted to University of Illinois (pre‑med)
Enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign as a pre‑med student; named science student of the year while there.
Mother (adoptive) dies; leaves university
Withdrew from University of Illinois after sophomore year (didn't take finals) following the death of his adoptive mother.
One term at University of Chicago; moves to California
Attended University of Chicago for one term studying physics and mathematics; spent summer 1966 in California, then moved to Berkeley to pursue programming work.
Begins career as computer programmer
Worked as a programmer/technician for various companies (Fireman’s Fund, Wells Fargo, Amdahl, Ampex) through late 1960s/early 1970s, gaining experience in mainframes and RDBMS concepts.
Worked at Ampex; first Oracle project concept
While at Ampex (early‑to‑mid 1970s) worked on a database project for the CIA, code‑named 'Oracle', and was inspired by Ted Codd's relational model paper.
Founded Software Development Laboratories (SDL)
Co‑founded Software Development Laboratories with Bob Miner and Ed Oates with an initial investment of $2,000 (Ellison personally contributed $1,200). Ellison was CEO and led sales.
Company renamed Relational Software, Inc.; Oracle v2 released
SDL renamed Relational Software, Inc. (RSI). First commercial release of Oracle Database (called Oracle v2) shipped in 1979 (no v1).
Company becomes Oracle Systems Corporation
Relational Software officially renamed Oracle Systems Corporation after its flagship product.
Oracle goes public (IPO)
Oracle completed its initial public offering in 1986, raising $31.5 million.
Oracle posts losses; lays off ≈10%
Oracle lost money and laid off about 10% of its workforce (≈400 people); earnings were restated after revenue booking abuses, nearly bankrupting the firm.
Met biological mother again
Reportedly reunited with his biological mother at age 48.
Oracle 7 released; company turnaround
Oracle 7 (released around 1992) was a major product that helped Oracle regain market leadership and recover financially after the 1990 crisis.
Received Golden Plate Award; joined Apple board
Received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement (1997). In 1997 he was also made a director of Apple Computer after Steve Jobs' return.
Bicycle crash and UC Davis donation; Ambulatory Care Center opened
After shattering his elbow in a high‑speed bicycle crash in 1992 (reported), he donated $5 million to seed the Lawrence J. Ellison Musculo‑Skeletal Research Center; the Lawrence J. Ellison Ambulatory Care Center opened at UC Davis in 1998.
Sayonara wins Sydney–Hobart race
Ellison's yacht Sayonara won the grueling Sydney‑to‑Hobart race, surviving near‑hurricane conditions (1998 event referenced).
Sued over San Jose airport curfew
In January 2000, Ellison sued San Jose over interpretation of late‑night takeoff/landing curfew for heavy aircraft (Gulfstream V).
Judge rules favorably on jet curfew waiver
US District Judge Jeremy Fogel ruled in Ellison's favor in June 2001, effectively granting a waiver for his jet though curfew remained intact.
Founded BMW Oracle Racing (America's Cup team)
Ellison founded BMW Oracle Racing (became Challenger of Record for America's Cup cycles) and led innovations including kite‑sail testing and wing‑sail multihulls culminating in 2010/2013 successes.
Begins large acquisition spree (PeopleSoft)
Ellison led Oracle's aggressive acquisition strategy beginning mid‑2000s; PeopleSoft was acquired (deal announced/closed around 2004–2005) for approximately $10.3 billion.
Insider‑trading settlement offer and compensation reported
In 2005 Ellison agreed to settle an insider‑trading lawsuit by offering to pay $100 million to charity in Oracle's name. Oracle reported Ellison compensation that year (salary $975,000; $6.5M bonus; other comp $955,100).
Forbes ranks him richest Californian; cancels $115M Harvard pledge
Forbes listed him as the richest person in California in 2006. In June 2006 he announced he would not honor a $115 million pledge to Harvard (cited departure of Lawrence Summers).
Huge compensation year
Reported total compensation in 2007 was $61,180,524 (base $1,000,000; cash bonus $8,369,000; options granted ~$50.1M).
Compensation reported for 2008
Reported total compensation for 2008 was $84,598,700 (base $1,000,000; cash bonus $10,779,000; options granted ~$71.37M).
Purchased Indian Wells Tennis Garden and tournament
In 2009 Ellison purchased the Indian Wells Tennis Garden and the Indian Wells Masters tournament for $100 million and subsequently invested another $100 million into the facility/club.
Base salary reduced to $1 for fiscal 2010
Reports indicated Ellison's base salary for fiscal year 2010 would be $1 (down from $1,000,000 in fiscal 2009).
Announced intent to buy Sun Microsystems
After competing with IBM and HP, Oracle announced in April 2009 its intent to acquire Sun Microsystems (deal later closed in 2010).
Board awards 7 million stock options
On July 2, 2009 Oracle's board awarded Ellison 7 million stock options for the fourth consecutive year.
Cameo appearance in Iron Man 2
Ellison made a brief cameo appearance in the 2010 film Iron Man 2.
Oracle provides technology to support Zoom during COVID surge (later recognition)
Oracle's cloud infrastructure would later be credited with providing capacity to Zoom during the COVID‑19 surge (noted as a 2020 milestone tied to Oracle's cloud role).
EU approves Oracle acquisition of Sun Microsystems
European Union approved Oracle's acquisition of Sun Microsystems on January 21, 2010; Sun added assets including MySQL (acquired 2008 by Sun).
America's Cup victory (33rd Cup) with BMW Oracle Racing
Ellison's yacht USA 17 (BMW Oracle) won the 33rd America's Cup in February 2010; Ellison served as a crew member and the Cup returned to the US.
Reported as highest‑paid executive of prior decade
The Wall Street Journal reported on July 27, 2010 that Ellison was the highest‑paid executive in the last decade, collecting a total of about $1.84 billion over the period.
Hires Mark Hurd as co‑president
On September 6, 2010 Oracle hired former HP CEO Mark Hurd as co‑president alongside Safra Catz; Ellison remained in his then roles.
Forbes ranks him 5th richest in world (Sept 2011)
In September 2011 Forbes listed Ellison as the fifth richest man in the world and third richest American with ~ $36.5 billion net worth.
Reported net worth $44B (Sep 2012); buys Lānaʻi
In 2012 Forbes estimated his net worth at ~$44 billion. In June 2012 he agreed to buy 98% of the Hawaiian island of Lānaʻi from Castle & Cooke (David H. Murdock) for a reported price between $500M and $600M.
Opened restaurant 'Nikita' in Malibu
Ellison opened a restaurant named Nikita in Malibu in July 2013; the restaurant closed December 2014.
Inducted to Bay Area Business Hall of Fame; earned $94.6M that year
Inducted into the Bay Area Business Hall of Fame in 2013. The Wall Street Journal reported Ellison earned $94.6 million in 2013.
America's Cup: Oracle Team USA wins 34th Cup (comeback)
On September 25, 2013 Oracle Team USA defeated Emirates Team New Zealand 9–8 after a comeback from a 1–8 deficit; team had been penalized two points earlier.
Donates $10M to Friends of the Israel Defense Forces
In 2014 Ellison donated $10 million to support IDF programs (reported donation).
Steps down as Oracle CEO; becomes CTO & Executive Chairman
On September 18, 2014 Ellison appointed Mark Hurd and Safra Catz as co‑CEOs of Oracle and assumed the roles of chief technology officer and executive chairman.
Forbes estimate: personal fortune ~$50B
In 2016 Forbes estimated Ellison's fortune at roughly $50 billion (various rankings placed him among the world's richest).
Donates $200M to USC for cancer research (Ellison Institute)
In May 2016 Ellison donated $200 million to USC to establish the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine (later Ellison Institute of Technology).
Oracle acquires NetSuite for $9.3B
In November 2016 Oracle announced acquisition of NetSuite for $9.3 billion. Ellison owned ~35% of NetSuite and reportedly realized about $3.5 billion personally from the deal.
Funds Sensei Ag (farming/AI start‑up)
In 2017 Ellison funded Sensei Ag, promising to use AI, robotics and software to transform agriculture (later criticized in 2025 for underdelivering).
Major Tesla investment; joins Tesla board
Ellison spent roughly $1 billion in 2018 to buy ~15M shares of Tesla (sources vary) or purchased 3M shares as reported by some outlets; he joined Tesla's board in December 2018.
Received 'Rebels With A Cause' Award and starts SailGP
In 2019 Ellison received the first Rebels With A Cause Award from the Ellison Institute and, with Russell Coutts, started the international SailGP racing series committing five years of funding; first season reached global audiences ~1.8 billion.
Moves primary residence to Lānaʻi
In December 2020 Ellison left California and moved to Lānaʻi, of which he owns 98%, strengthening his personal involvement with the island.
Allowed fundraiser for President Trump at Rancho Mirage
In 2020 Ellison allowed then‑President Donald Trump to hold a fundraiser at his Rancho Mirage estate; Ellison was not present.
Owns 42.9% of Oracle shares (reported proxy 2022)
Oracle proxy statements in 2022 reported Ellison owned roughly 42.9% of Oracle's outstanding shares.
Leaves Tesla board
Ellison departed the Tesla board in August 2022 (initially joined Dec 2018).
Ellison Institute Oxford campus and donations to Tony Blair Institute
Ellison's Ellison Institute expanded with a campus in Oxford (2023) and his foundation gave over £52 million to the Tony Blair Institute with an additional promise of $218 million (reported 2023).
Project Ronin (cancer software startup) closes
Project Ronin, a software/cancer‑care startup co‑founded by Ellison with David Agus and Dave Hodgson, closed down in early 2024 (reported March 2024); the company aimed to analyze EMR data for cancer care.
Oracle stock surge tied to AI drives wealth toward $196B (report)
Press reports in 2023 cited Oracle stock rising 90% with Ellison's wealth rising to roughly $196 billion as the company capitalized on demand for AI compute and cloud services.
Net worth surge tied to Oracle AI/cloud momentum
By mid‑2024 Ellison's net worth reportedly rose dramatically (e.g., May 2024 estimate ~$141B; other press described rises tied to Oracle's AI/cloud sales and stock gains later in 2023–24).
Named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People
In 2024 Time magazine named Larry Ellison one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Project Ronin closure (formal report)
Bloomberg reported March 1, 2024 that Project Ronin, Ellison's cancer software startup, was shutting down after disappointing progress.
Oracle announces Nashville/Austin HQ plans (public remarks)
In April 2024 Ellison shared Oracle's vision to make Music City (Nashville) its main headquarters while maintaining major Eastern US presence in Nashville/ Austin focus.
Lifetime recognition and ongoing influence
Ellison continues as Oracle's executive chairman and chief technology officer, leads investments, philanthropy and sporting initiatives (yachting, tennis, agriculture), and remains a leading tech figure.
Attended White House AI infrastructure event (Stargate Project)
In January 2025 Ellison joined Sam Altman (OpenAI) and Masayoshi Son (SoftBank) at the White House to announce The Stargate Project — a national AI infrastructure initiative.
Ranked second‑wealthiest globally (July 2025 estimates)
As of July 2025 Bloomberg listed Ellison as the world's second‑wealthiest person with an estimated net worth of $257B; Forbes listed him at ~$286.8B (values vary by tracker).
Paramount–Skydance merger completed (reported involvement)
Report (July 24, 2025) states Paramount Global completed an $8.4B merger with Skydance Media; David Ellison (Larry's son) to lead Paramount; reports tie Larry Ellison's influence to the deal (media reports).
Key Achievement Ages
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