Larry Ellison, co-founder and chairman of Oracle, has become the defining billionaire of 2025, surpassing even Elon Musk in influence within the technology sector. Over the past year, Ellison has been pivotal in numerous major business developments, particularly in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence (AI). His involvement has included ambitious data centre projects and significant partnerships that have reshaped Oracle’s position in the tech landscape.
Ellison’s Role in AI Infrastructure and Oracle’s Growth
The year kicked off with a notable announcement on January 21, when Ellison joined former President Donald Trump, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son at the White House. They revealed a staggering $500 billion plan to build a robust AI infrastructure in the United States. This ambitious initiative promised to create 100,000 jobs, although some critics viewed the financial projections as overly optimistic.
Since then, Oracle has launched an extensive expansion of its data centres, specifically designed to support AI technologies. This effort has led to a significant shift in the company’s financial metrics, with Oracle experiencing negative cash flow for the first time since the early 1990s. Despite previously hesitating to embrace cloud computing, Ellison has now positioned Oracle as a key player in the AI sector.
In the summer months, Oracle secured a monumental contract with OpenAI, valued at approximately $300 billion, making the AI lab Oracle’s largest customer. This partnership significantly enhanced Oracle’s visibility and credibility within the AI market, and investor confidence surged.
In September, Oracle’s stock surged following the announcement of its extensive dealings with OpenAI. Ellison’s net worth soared by $89 billion in a single day, climbing to $388 billion and briefly making him the richest person globally, surpassing Musk.
The Ellison Family’s Ventures in Media
Ellison’s burgeoning wealth coincided with his son David Ellison‘s ambitions in Hollywood. In August, David’s company, Skydance Media, completed a significant acquisition of Paramount, financed largely by his father. Shortly after, David attempted to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, home to major franchises like Batman and Harry Potter. Larry Ellison offered to back this venture financially and even met with Warner Bros. executives to pitch the deal.
Despite these efforts, Warner Bros. declined the proposal from Skydance and opted for a deal with Netflix Inc. instead. In response, David Ellison submitted a hostile bid, reminiscent of his father’s past tactics. Following the rejection of a second offer for Paramount, Larry Ellison agreed to personally guarantee $40.4 billion in financing to support his son’s ambitions in the media sector.
As the year progressed, however, Oracle’s stock price began to decline, reflecting broader market skepticism regarding AI investments. Many investors expressed concerns about Oracle’s substantial debt accrued from its data centre expansions and its reliance on OpenAI for sustained growth.
Currently, Larry Ellison ranks as the fifth-richest individual in the world, with a net worth of just under $250 billion. While he possesses ample assets to cover his financing guarantees, the concentration of his wealth in Oracle stock raises questions about his liquidity should the need arise to provide the full $40.4 billion backstop.
In the past, Ellison’s wealth was often associated with luxury acquisitions, including private jets and real estate. Now, his fortune is intricately linked to the unpredictable AI market and the future of a media company led by his son, marking a significant shift in his financial and business strategy as the landscape of technology continues to evolve.
