“an incredible business mistake”
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Larry Ellison
Lawrence Joseph Ellison is an American businessman. He co-founded the software company Oracle Corporation, and was its CEO from 1977 to 2014. He now serves as its CTO and executive chairman. According to Forbes, as of early 2026, Ellison's estimated net worth is $201–203 billion, making him the world's sixth-richest person.
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business · American businessman (born 1944) · entrepreneur · computer scientist · aircraft pilot · actor · businessperson · also Larry Ellison, Lawrence Joseph Ellison, Lawrence Ellison, Lawrence J. Ellison, Lawrence Joseph "Larry" Ellison, Larry J Ellison
Born 17 August 1944 · Q92759
73 published statements · 0 followers
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2026· 12 entries
“While I think I am religious in one sense, the particular dogmas of Judaism are not dogmas I subscribe to. I don”
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Forbes: How Larry Ellison Dropped From World’s 2nd-Richest To No. 8 In Just 2 Months
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Observer: Larry Ellison’s Decades-Long Obsession With Competitive Sailing
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The New York Times: David Ellison Floats Hollywood Exit as States Threaten His Warner Bros. Deal
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The New York Times: Five Takeaways From the Times Investigation Into Larry Ellison’s A.I. Gamble
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The New York Times: Larry Ellison Bet It All on the A.I. Boom. Will He Be the Face of the A.I. Bubble?
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The Motley Fool: Larry Ellison Personally Guaranteed $40.4 Billion of His Son's Warner Bros. Discovery Deal. Now 12 States Have Sued to Block It, and Oracle Stock Has Fallen 34% This Month.
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Yahoo Finance: Larry Ellison Was Once the World’s Richest Man. Now Oracle Is Down Over 50% While He Bankrolls His Son’s Fight to Control a $110 Billion Media Empire
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Forbes: Oracle’s Nearly 50% Crash Since June 1 Plunges Larry Ellison From No. 2 To No. 8 In Billionaire Ranks
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The Wall Street Journal: Larry Ellison
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President Trump appointed Ellison to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)
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2025· 3 entries
Investopedia: Larry Ellison's Rise: How He Snagged the Title of World's Richest Person From Elon Musk
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Ellison was briefly the wealthiest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $393 billion
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Ellison was briefly the wealthiest person in the world after an increase in Oracle stock price, with an estimated net worth of $393 billion
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2023· 2 entries
With the intention of providing a scholarship program for 20 students each year
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The Ellison-owned Lānaʻi Water Company put a significant multiyear rate increase before regulators citing infrastructure and operating costs
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2022· 1 entry
Ellison bought a 22-acre property in Manalapan, Florida, for $173 million
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2021· 2 entries
Published “The 2021 WHO Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System: a summary” in Neuro-Oncology — cited 10,947 times.
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Ellison offered Netanyahu a board seat at Oracle
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2020· 1 entry
Ellison allowed President Donald Trump to have a fundraiser at his Rancho Mirage estate, but Ellison was not present
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2019· 4 entries
Against several Israel supporters, including Ellison, accusing them of conspiring to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Israeli-occupied territories, committing war crimes, and funding genocide
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Reported net worth: $62.5B (as of 2019).
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Ellison, in conjunction with Russell Coutts, started the SailGP international racing series
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Ellison helped fund an archaeological excavation project in East Jerusalem that was criticized by Palestinians, Israeli peace activists, and some archaeologists
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2018· 1 entry
Career landmark: board member (2018–2022).
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2017· 2 entries
Ellison funded a farming company called Sensei Ag with a promise to use AI, robotics, and software to remake the way food was produced
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Forbes estimated that Ellison was the 4th-richest person in the technology sector
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2016· 1 entry
Published “The 2016 World Health Organization Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System: a summary” in Acta Neuropathologica — cited 13,407 times.
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2015· 1 entry
Ellison married Nikita Kahn
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2014· 2 entries
Ellison appointed Mark Hurd to CEO of Oracle from his former position as president; Safra Catz was also made CEO, moving from her former role as CFO
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Donated $10 million to the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces
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2013· 3 entries
Ellison's Oracle Team USA defeated Emirates Team New Zealand to win the 34th America's Cup in San Francisco Bay, California
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According to The Wall Street Journal, Ellison earned $94
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Ellison was inducted into the Bay Area Business Hall of Fame
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2012· 1 entry
Donated to both Democratic and Republican politicians, and in late 2014 hosted Republican senator Rand Paul at a fundraiser at his home
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2011· 1 entry
Purchased the 249-acre Porcupine Creek Estate and private golf course in Rancho Mirage, California for $42
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2010· 2 entries
Ellison's yacht USA 17 won the second race (in the best of three "deed of gift" series) of the 33rd America's Cup, after winning the first race two days earlier
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Ellison purchased a 50% share of the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament
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2009· 1 entry
Ellison purchased the Indian Wells Tennis Garden tennis facility in California's Coachella Valley and the Indian Wells Masters tournament for $100 million, and he has invested another $100 million in the club
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2008· 1 entry
Earned a total compensation of $84,598,700 (equivalent to $127,000,000 in 2025), which included a base salary of $1,000,000 (equivalent to $1,500,000 in 2025), a cash bonus of $10,779,000 (equivalent to $16,000,000 in
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2007· 3 entries
Ellison pledged $500,000 to fortify a community centre in Sderot, Israel, against rocket attacks
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Published “Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship” in Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication — cited 8,598 times.
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Ellison earned a total compensation of $61,180,524 (equivalent to $95,000,000 in 2025), which included a base salary of $1,000,000 (equivalent to $1,600,000 in 2025), a cash bonus of $8,369,000 (equivalent to $13,000,000
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2006· 1 entry
Forbes ranked him as the richest Californian
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2005· 2 entries
Oracle Corporation paid Ellison a $975,000 salary (equivalent to $1,600,000 in 2025), a $6,500,000 bonus (equivalent to $11,000,000 in 2025), and other compensation of $955,100 (equivalent to $1,600,000 in 2025)
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Ellison agreed to settle a four-year-old insider-trading lawsuit by offering to pay $100 million (equivalent to $160,000,000 in 2025) to charity in Oracle's name
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2004· 1 entry
And 2005 he purchased more than 12 properties in Malibu, California, worth more than $180 million
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2003· 1 entry
Ellison married Melanie Craft, a romance novelist, at his Woodside estate
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2002· 1 entry
Ellison's Oracle's team introduced kite yachting into the America's Cup environment
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2001· 1 entry
In response to the September 11 attacks, Ellison made a controversial offer to donate software to the federal government that would have enabled it to build and run a national identification database and issue ID cards
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1999· 1 entry
The city of San Jose, California, cited him for violating its limits on late-night takeoffs and landings from San Jose Mineta International Airport by planes weighing more than 75,000 pounds (34,019 kg)
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1997· 2 entries
Ellison was made a director of Apple Computer after Steve Jobs returned to the company
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Ellison received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement
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1994· 1 entry
Informix overtook Sybase and became Oracle's most important rival
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1993· 1 entry
Sybase sold the rights to its database software running under the Windows operating system to Microsoft Corporation, which now markets it under the name "SQL Server"
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1992· 1 entry
Ellison shattered his elbow in a high-speed bicycle crash
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1990· 2 entries
Ellison was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Harvard University
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Oracle laid off 10% of its workforce (about 400 people) because it was losing money
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1984· 5 entries
“Ser el primero es más importante para mí. Tengo mucho dinero. Hoy el dinero para mí son sólo cifras. Quiero decir, que no necesito más dinero”
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“La noción de integración de muchas piezas diferentes de software no funciona, y la prueba es que muchas empresas que se dedicaban a esta actividad ya no existen.”
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“Twenty minutes compared to never, that's a lot. Our customer, the Central Intelligence Agency, would get very upset [if] somebody looks in their database.”
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“Pero cada uno ha tenido su momento como centro del universo, y Microsoft pronto dejará de definir a la industria.”
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“La plataforma cliente-servidor está completamente superada.”
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1983· 1 entry
The company officially became Oracle Systems Corporation (named after its flagship product)
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1979· 2 entries
Was called Oracle version 2; there was no Oracle version 1
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The company renamed itself Relational Software, Inc
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1978· 1 entry
Divorced and Wheeler sold back her shares in Oracle (SDL at the time) to Ellison for $500
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1977· 2 entries
Ellison, Ed Oates and Bruce Scott joined Software Development Laboratories (SDL) several months after it was founded by Ellison's supervisor at Ampex, Bob Miner
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Career landmark: chief executive officer (1977–2014).
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1966· 1 entry
Studied at University of Chicago (1964–1966).
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1964· 1 entry
Studied at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (1962–1964).
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1944· 1 entry
Born 1944-08-17.
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