TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - At 81, Larry Ellison stands as one of the few figures who can truly rival Elon Musk in the race for the title of the world’s richest man. Fueled by the explosive rise of artificial intelligence, Ellison’s fortune recently swelled by an astonishing $101 billion, pushing his net worth past $393 billion as of Wednesday, September 10.
But Ellison’s story goes far beyond Oracle and unimaginable wealth. As the world’s second-richest man, Ellison’s rise from modest beginnings to building Oracle into a global tech powerhouse remains a defining story in modern business.
Drawing insights from Forbes, Bloomberg, Investopedia, and Business Insider, here are some facts about Larry Ellison that will inspire your next moves.
Larry Ellison is a College Dropout
Born in the Bronx on August 17, 1944, Larry Ellison is among the ultra-successful figures who hold no degree. He attended the University of Illinois and soon dropped out after the passing of his adoptive mother. Despite continuing his education journey once again at the University of Chicago, Ellison decided to drop out after the first semester for reasons that remain undisclosed.
He spent his youth bouncing from job to job for a few years until he moved to Berkeley, California. There, he gained computer programming skills through his jobs at Wells Fargo and Amdahl, a mainframe manufacturer.
Ultimately, Ellison took the plunge and was hired for a computer programming position at Ampex Data Systems Corporation. There, he was introduced to a database with the codename “Oracle” for the Central Intelligence Agency.
CIA Funded the Birth of Oracle
In many talks he had shared in the past, Larry Ellison candidly credited the IBM research for the birth of Oracle. Founded in 1977, the cloud giant took its inspiration from a paper titled “A Relational Model of Data for Large Shared Data Banks,” by Edgar F. Codd.
Ellison and his colleagues were encouraged to leave the startup and carve their paths with $2,000 of their own money before landing a $50,000 contract from the CIA eventually. They transitioned from Version 2 to Relational Software, Inc., and merged with Oracle Systems in 1982. A few years later, in 1986, the company went public with backing from Sequoia Capital and revenue of $55 million.
Larry Ellison’s Charitable Causes
Throughout his career, Larry Ellison has given back to the communities in ways that are both significant and persistent.
In 2010, he was among the notable figures who signed the Giving Pledge, a campaign started by Bill, Melinda Gates, and Warren Buffett to encourage fellow billionaires to make changes. Together with Priscilla Chan, Michael Bloomberg, George Lucas, Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, and Reid Hoffman, Larry Ellison vowed to donate 95% of his fortune to fund research on health and aging.
For the record, he has donated substantial amounts, including $200 million to a USC cancer center in 2016, which was later renamed to the Ellison Institute of Technology. The establishment recently committed around $1.25 billion to projects like mapping the immune system.
Hollywood Acquisition
Ellison’s children, David and Megan, are well-known figures within the film industry. His son, David, has been on track, producing top movies like Top Gun, Mission Impossible, and the Star Trek franchise.
Meanwhile, his daughter, Megan, is a notable founder of Annapurna Pictures, which produced the Oscar-winning AI movie, Her, and many other arthouse films.
Still with the family’s involvement in Hollywood studios, Ellison recently made a deal with David’s Skydance Media production company to merge with Paramount Global.
Behind Larry Ellison’s Youthful Appearance
As a longtime investor, Ellison received praise not only for his lucrative endeavors but also for his look. For someone who reached 81 this year, he appeared healthy and content, unlike many business leaders.
Various sources quoted Ellison as saying that he practices mindful living by working out daily, getting enough sleep, and strictly avoiding alcohol and drugs. In his free time, he enjoys many activities, such as sailing, playing tennis and chess, playing the guitar, flying, and learning about Japanese culture.
In 2012, Larry Ellison purchased 98 percent of the Hawaiian island of Lanai, where he soon established a residence. Aside from real estate empires, he also built a wellness retreat and a farming startup here.
Whether steering Oracle, backing life-saving research, or shaping Hollywood through his family’s ventures, Ellison continues to leave an imprint that stretches far beyond Silicon Valley. If you are keen on following the trend, check the latest update of the richest people in the world here.
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