Larry Ellison: From Abandoned Orphan to Lord of the Billionaire Throne

Larry Ellison is not just the richest person on the planet — he proved it with figures that shook the financial world. On September 10, 2025, his personal wealth increased by over $100 billion in a single day, and the 81-year-old Silicon Valley engineer-entrepreneur officially took the top spot on Bloomberg’s billionaire list. At the peak of his wealth, Ellison’s net worth reached $393 billion, surpassing Elon Musk, who stopped at $385 billion. But impressive numbers are not the main story. The real story is the journey that took this man from an orphanage to the top of the global economy.

Larry Ellison: Born from Pain and the First Steps Toward the Stars

Larry Ellison’s life story begins with rejection. Born in 1944 in the Bronx to a 19-year-old single mother, he was given up for foster care at nine months old to an aunt in Chicago. His adoptive father was an ordinary clerk, and the family barely made ends meet. This was not the typical start considered a launchpad for success. Ellison enrolled at the University of Illinois but dropped out in his second year after his adoptive mother died. His attempt to study at the University of Chicago lasted exactly one semester.

After leaving college, Larry Ellison led a nomadic life across America. He worked as a programmer in Chicago but felt he was searching for something else. In the late 1960s, he got into a car and headed to Berkeley, California. There, in the heart of counterculture and emerging technologies, he felt a freedom he had never experienced before. “People there seemed freer and smarter,” Ellison later recalled.

Oracle: How Larry Ellison Turned a Government Contract into a Global Empire

A turning point came in the early 1970s. Ellison got a job at Ampex Corporation, which specialized in storing and processing audio and video data. There, he joined an elite team developing an advanced data management system for the CIA, codenamed “Oracle.” This project opened Ellison’s eyes to enormous untapped potential.

In 1977, 32-year-old Ellison gathered two like-minded partners — Bob Miner and Ed Oates — and invested $2,000 (his personal contribution was $1,200) to create Software Development Laboratories. Their vision was crystal clear: to develop a universal commercial database management system based on the relational data model and their experience working with the government. They named it Oracle.

Ellison was never a scientist inventing new technologies. He was something greater — a visionary capable of seeing commercial value where others saw only technical details. He was a strategist willing to risk everything for a market that was yet to be created. From 1978 to 1996, Ellison served as president, leading the company with near-military discipline. From 1990 to 1992, he also served as chairman of the board. In 1992, a surfing accident nearly took his life, but Ellison simply returned to work. In 1995, he resumed his leadership and controlled the company for another ten years until 2014, when he handed over the CEO position to a longtime associate, while maintaining influence as executive chairman and CTO.

Over four decades, Oracle experienced both triumphs and setbacks. It dominated the database segment but was sometimes hesitant at the dawn of the cloud revolution. Nevertheless, Larry Ellison managed to preserve the company’s strategic position in enterprise software.

An Unexpected Triumph in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

The advent of generative AI created a new opportunity for Ellison. In September 2025, Oracle announced four major contracts, including a five-year deal with OpenAI worth $300 billion. The company’s shares soared more than 40% in a single trading day — the largest one-day jump since 1992.

Although in the initial cloud computing race Ellison lagged behind Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure, his company retained a unique advantage: deep connections with corporate clients and unmatched experience in managing vast amounts of data. In summer 2025, Oracle underwent internal reforms: the company optimized traditional departments but simultaneously invested heavily in data centers and AI infrastructure. The industry recognized this as a turning point: Ellison’s Oracle, once a “legacy software giant,” transformed into a key player in AI infrastructure — a “dark horse” catching competitors off guard.

Larry Ellison Beyond the Office: Sports, Marriages, and Adventures

While in business Larry Ellison is a man of calculation and strategy, in personal life he embodies paradox. He owns 98% of the Hawaiian island of Lanai and several mansions in California but lives with the strict discipline of a monk. His love for adrenaline and risk is legendary.

Water was his first passion. A surfing accident in 1992 nearly took his life, but it only strengthened his desire to conquer waves. Later, Ellison shifted to sailing, a more dangerous sport requiring greater skill. In 2013, his Oracle Team USA made a historic comeback, winning the America’s Cup — one of the greatest victories in sailing history. Not satisfied, Ellison founded SailGP in 2018, an international high-speed sailing league that attracted global investors, including actress Anne Hathaway and football star Kylian Mbappé.

Tennis is his second sports obsession. Ellison elevated the abandoned tournament in Indian Wells, California, to one of the most prestigious events in the world. Some call it “the fifth Grand Slam.”

The secret to Larry Ellison’s youthfulness is simpler than it seems: discipline. According to former colleagues interviewed on Quora in 2018, Ellison in the 1990s and 2000s dedicated several hours daily to sports. He avoided sugary drinks, preferring water and green tea, and strictly controlled his diet. The result: an 81-year-old who looks two decades younger than his peers.

In personal life, Ellison has been married four times and had numerous affairs. In 2024, he entered his fifth marriage with Chinese woman Jolín Zhu, a young woman 47 years his junior. This marriage became public through documents from the University of Michigan, where the newlyweds appeared as donors. According to South China Morning Post, Jolín Zhu was born in Shenyang and graduated from a prestigious university. Internet users wittily note that for Ellison, waves and romantic adventures are equally compelling — both elements represent the meaning of life.

Expanding Influence: From Technology to Media and Politics

Larry Ellison’s wealth has long ceased to be just his personal asset. His son David recently acquired Paramount Global — the parent company of CBS and MTV — for $8 billion, with $6 billion financed by the family. This purchase symbolizes the Ellison clan’s entry into Hollywood. The father rules Silicon Valley, the son in the entertainment industry. Two generations are building an empire spanning the core of modern civilization: technology, media, and information.

In the political arena, Larry Ellison also leaves a notable mark. A longtime supporter of the Republican Party, he is known for major political donations. In 2015, he funded Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign; in 2022, he donated $15 million to the super PAC supporting Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina. In January 2026, Ellison, along with SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, appeared at the White House to announce the construction of a network of AI data centers costing $500 billion. Oracle’s technologies are set to form the technical core of this project. This is no longer just a business proposal — it’s an entry into the circle of architects shaping the future.

Philanthropy According to the Principles of Solitude

In 2010, Larry Ellison signed the famous “Giving Pledge,” committing to donate at least 95% of his wealth to charity. But unlike Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, he has never been a collectivist. In an interview with The New York Times, Ellison openly said: “I value solitude and don’t want to be influenced by others’ ideas.” This reflects his philosophy of philanthropy — deeply personal, even egoistic in its vision of the future.

In 2016, he donated $200 million to the University of Southern California to establish an oncology research center. Recently, Ellison announced the founding of the Ellison Institute of Technology in partnership with Oxford University for research in medicine, food technology, and climate. His publicly stated vision: “We want to develop a new generation of life-saving drugs, build accessible agricultural systems, and create efficient clean energy.” This is not just a donation — it’s designing the future according to Ellison’s personal beliefs, without compromises with other donors or ideologies.

Conclusion: A Legend That Does Not Fade Into the Past

At 81, Larry Ellison has reached a peak many thought unreachable. A boy from the Bronx, given up for adoption, with no education or resources, built an empire that redefined how humanity manages information. His first contract for the CIA turned into a global monopoly on databases. Difficult times in cloud computing were resolved with a strategic leap into the AI era.

Wealth, power, sports, political connections, multiple marriages, dreams of transforming the world — Larry Ellison’s life has never been boring. He remains a man of the old Silicon Valley guard: stubborn, combative, never giving up in the face of challenges. The throne of the world’s richest may pass to someone else, but now, as AI reshapes the world, Larry Ellison has proven one thing: the legend of the tech pioneer is far from over.