From Programmer to Trillionaire: How Larry Ellison Rewrote His Future

On September 10, 2025, an event occurred that many considered impossible. 81-year-old Larry Ellison—former dropout, who lost everything countless times—reached the top for the first time in history. According to Bloomberg’s billionaire index, his net worth exceeded $393 billion, surpassing Elon Musk, who had long held that position. In just one day, Ellison’s wealth grew by over $100 billion—a jump that reshuffled the entire rankings of the world’s richest. But this victory was no accident. It was the result of four decades of struggle, stubbornness, and refusal to give up.

Childhood Without Family, Beginnings Without Money: The Roots of Larry Ellison’s Willpower

Born in 1944 in the Bronx, New York, Larry Ellison’s life started with abandonment. His mother, a 19-year-old single girl, had no means to support him. At nine months old, he was placed with an aunt in Chicago. His adoptive father was a regular government employee. No privileges, no connections—just modest existence in a humble family.

After enrolling at the University of Illinois, he studied only one semester before leaving. He then tried at the University of Chicago—just one semester. After his adoptive mother’s death, all his attempts at a traditional education collapsed. Instead of a diploma, Ellison gained something else—absolute confidence that institutions would never be his path.

Years of wandering through American cities ended in Berkeley, California. The young programmer arrived there seeking not only work but also freedom. “People seemed freer and smarter there,” he would later say. At Ampex Corporation, which handled data processing, Ellison participated in a secret project for the CIA that changed his destiny.

Oracle: From CIA’s Secret Project to Database Empire

In the early 1970s, Ellison received an assignment that became a turning point in his life. Working on a data management and search system for the Central Intelligence Agency (codenamed “Oracle”), he realized something fundamental: the commercial value of such systems would be enormous. Most saw only the technology. He saw the market.

In 1977, with only $2,000 in his pocket (of which $1,200 was his own), Ellison co-founded Software Development Laboratories with Bob Miner and Ed Oates. Their bold decision was to create a universal, commercial database management system called Oracle. Ellison was not a great scientist—but he was a champion at seeing what others did not.

When Oracle went public on NASDAQ in 1986, it instantly attracted investor attention. The company became a new star in enterprise software. Ellison held nearly all executive positions, keeping the company tightly under control. From 1978 to 1996, he was president; from 1990 to 1992, he served as chairman of the board for the first time. Even when a surfing accident in 1992 nearly cost him his life, he returned and continued leading. Over forty years, Oracle experienced ups and downs, but Ellison remained its driving force, conscience, and strategist.

When Larry Ellison Brought Oracle Back into the Game: AI as a Second Wind

By the 2020s, it seemed Oracle’s glory was fading. Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure dominated cloud computing. But Oracle had something unique: deep relationships with corporate clients and unmatched expertise in data handling. Ellison understood: the future was where the growth was.

In summer 2025, Oracle announced a wave of layoffs—several thousand employees, mostly from traditional departments. Simultaneously, the company invested billions in data centers and generative AI infrastructure. It was a gamble: to abandon yesterday’s models to win tomorrow. And it paid off.

On September 10, 2025, an announcement changed everything. Oracle signed four contracts worth hundreds of billions of dollars, including an unprecedented five-year deal with OpenAI for $300 billion. Oracle’s shares soared 40% in a single day—the largest one-day jump since 1992. At that moment, Ellison’s net worth exceeded $393 billion. The world learned: Oracle is not just an “old software giant,” but a dark horse in AI infrastructure. And it’s led by an 81-year-old rebel who never learned to give up.

Marriages, Sports, and an Island: The Portrait of a Man Who Never Stops

On a personal level, Ellison lives with the same intensity as in business. Five marriages, numerous romances, and in 2024—a quiet wedding with Jolin Zhu, a Chinese woman 47 years his junior. University of Michigan documents revealed this event for the first time. People joke: for Ellison, waves and love are equally attractive.

But he’s not just an adventure lover. He’s a man with iron discipline. A former top executive recounted how, in the 1990s and 2000s, Ellison dedicated hours daily to sports. He almost never drank sugary drinks, preferring water and green tea. Hated sweetness but loved adrenaline passionately.

In 1992, surfing nearly killed him. But instead of quitting, Ellison switched to sailing. In 2013, his Oracle Team USA made a historic comeback, winning the America’s Cup. In 2018, he founded SailGP—a high-speed sailing league that attracted actress Anne Hathaway, football star Kylian Mbappé, and other celebrities. Tennis is another passion. He revived the Indian Wells tournament, now called the “fifth Grand Slam.”

Ellison owns 98% of the island of Lanai in Hawaii, several mansions in California, and one of the world’s best yachts. For him, sports are not hobbies—they are proof that at 81, he looks 20 years younger than his peers. It’s a life philosophy: act, take risks, win.

Larry Ellison’s Legacy: Power, Influence, and Responsibility

Ellison’s wealth has long become a family empire. His son David recently acquired Paramount Global—the parent company of CBS and MTV—for $8 billion, with the Ellison family financing $6 billion. Father in Silicon Valley, son in Hollywood. Two generations building an empire spanning technology and entertainment.

In politics, Ellison has also influenced events. A longtime supporter of the Republican Party and major donor, he funded Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign in 2015; in 2022, he donated $15 million to the super PAC supporting Senator Tim Scott. In January 2026, he, along with SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, announced plans to build a network of AI data centers worth $500 billion.

In 2010, Ellison signed the “Giving Pledge,” promising to donate at least 95% of his wealth. But unlike Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, he prefers to act alone. “I value independent thinking,” he says. In 2016, he donated $200 million to the University of Southern California for cancer research. Recently, he announced the creation of the Ellison Institute of Technology in partnership with Oxford University—for research in medicine, agriculture, and climate. Ellison’s philanthropy is intensely personal: he doesn’t seek consensus but creates the future according to his vision.

Epilogue: A Legend That Is Not Over

At 81, Larry Ellison finally took the throne as the world’s richest person. From a boy abandoned by his family to a billionaire, from a university failure to creator of a global database empire, from an outsider of the cloud era to a leader of the AI revolution—his journey defies all conventional scripts.

He is the old “rebel” of Silicon Valley: stubborn, combative, never admitting defeat. Marriages, sports, empire, philanthropy, political influence—his life has always been vibrant and spectacular. The throne of the world’s richest may soon pass to someone else. But right now, in this moment, Larry Ellison has proven to the world: in an era where AI changes everything, even an 81-year-old “old man” can make a comeback that rewrites history. His legend is far from over.