Have you ever wondered how Larry Ellison reached the top of the list of the world’s richest people? A recent example is from just a little while ago. According to a Bloomberg report, Oracle’s co-founder, Larry Ellison, once overtook Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk to become the world’s richest person for some time. Now Elon musk is on top.

This surge came due to a tremendous rally in Oracle’s shares. According to reports, Oracle’s shares rose nearly 41% in a single day in the New York market, which is the company’s biggest gain since 1992. As a result, Ellison’s wealth increased by billions of dollars in just one day. This surge came mainly due to Oracle’s strong cloud business growth and future indicators, which boosted investor enthusiasm.
This event proves that Larry Ellison’s wealth is directly tied to the performance of his company, Oracle. According to Forbes’ real-time billionaires list, the rise in Oracle’s shares has increased his total net worth to $395.7 billion. And this figure keeps changing often. The question on everyone’s mind is what the secret behind his success is. Behind his success is not one secret, but an interesting story connected to technology, business understanding, and dreaming big.
Today, we will tell you about those aspects of Larry Ellison’s success that turned him from an ordinary person into one of the world’s top billionaires. Let’s get started.
Who is Larry Ellison? A Brief Introduction
Larry Ellison, whose full name is Lawrence Joseph Ellison, is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Oracle Corporation. He was born on August 17, 1944, in New York City. The surprising thing is that his start was not very easy. He saw economic hardship in his childhood and also dropped out of college midway. However, he had an incredible passion for technology and a clear vision for business, which eventually changed his life.
Oracle Corporation: The Strong Foundation of Success
The biggest and main source of Larry Ellison’s wealth is the Oracle company itself. In 1977, Larry Ellison, along with his two partners Bob Miner and Ed Oates, founded Software Development Laboratories (SDL), which later became Oracle Corporation.
What did Oracle do that was so special?
In those days, companies had a lot of data, but it was very difficult to manage it. Larry Ellison found a solution to this problem. His company created the Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). To understand it in simple language, it was a powerful software that helped large companies and organizations organize, keep safe, and easily access their data.
This idea was so successful that today, almost every major company, bank, and government agency in the world uses Oracle’s software to manage its data. As the company’s business grew, the value of its shares also began to soar. Since Larry Ellison owns a very large portion of the company’s shares, the company’s success directly increased his personal wealth.
Jumping into Cloud Computing at the Right Time
- One of Larry Ellison’s smartest moves was entering the Cloud Computing business. A few years ago, companies used to store their data on their own servers and computers, which was very expensive and labor-intensive.
- Cloud Computing changed this. Now companies can store their data on the servers of other large companies via the internet and use it when needed, on a pay-as-you-go model, exactly like an electricity bill.
- Larry Ellison quickly understood this trend and prepared Oracle to invest heavily in the cloud business. Today, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) competes with the world’s top cloud services companies (like Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure). The rapid growth of the company’s cloud business in recent years has driven its share price to incredible heights, which has also caused a huge surge in Larry Ellison’s net worth.
Smart Investments and Business Moves
Larry Ellison did not limit his money only to his own company. Like a smart investor, he has also invested money in other growing companies, which has diversified his wealth and reduced risk.
- Investment in Tesla: He invested in the electric car company Tesla, which proved to be a very profitable decision.
- NetSuite: He also invested in this cloud company at an early stage, which was later acquired by Oracle itself.
- Real Estate: Larry Ellison has also invested a lot of money in luxury real estate. He bought 98% of Lanai Island, one of the Hawaiian Islands. Besides this, he has very magnificent homes in places like California and Malibu.
The Courage to Take Risks and Foresight
The two main qualities of Larry Ellison’s personality are – the courage to take risks and the foresight to see the future. He always took risks by dropping out of college, starting a startup, and making big business deals. He always bet on future technology trends like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cloud, which are dominating the entire world today.
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So, is Larry Ellison’s wealth just because he started Oracle?
Well, starting Oracle is the huge main reason, but it’s not just that. It’s also because he held onto a massive chunk of the company’s shares. So, when Oracle does well (like when its stock price skyrocketed 41% in a single day), his personal net worth goes through the roof directly. He also smartly diversified his money by investing in other big winners like Tesla and luxury real estate, but Oracle remains his golden goose.
What was Oracle’s big idea that made it so successful?
Back in the day, companies were drowning in data but had a really hard time managing it. Oracle’s genius was creating a powerful Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). Think of it as super-organized, secure, and easy-to-access digital filing cabinets for massive amounts of information. This product became absolutely essential for nearly every big company, bank, and government, making Oracle a tech giant.
What’s one of the smartest moves Larry Ellison made recently?
Jumping headfirst into cloud computing at the right time. He saw the trend early that companies would rather rent computing power over the internet than maintain expensive servers themselves. He pushed Oracle to invest heavily in its cloud service, now called Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). This move is a major reason for the company’s recent growth and the insane jump in its stock price, adding billions to Ellison’s wealth.
Conclusion: Key Points of Success
So, to put it briefly, the main reasons behind Larry Ellison becoming so rich are:
- Oracle’s Brilliant Success: Created a company whose product (Database Software) became essential worldwide.
- Large Stake in the Company: He directly benefited from the increase in the value of Oracle’s shares.
- Understanding Technology Trends: Entering emerging fields like Cloud Computing and AI at the right time.
- Diversified Investments: Investing money in other successful companies and real estate, not just in one place.
- Ability to Take Risks: The courage to make big decisions and believe in the future.
Larry Ellison’s story teaches that a big vision, a love for technology, and the courage to take calculated risks can take any person to unbelievable heights of success.
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