How did Oracle Co-founder Larry Ellison beat Elon Musk to become the world's richest person?
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison briefly overtook Elon Musk as the world’s richest person after a $101 billion surge in his wealth, driven by a sharp rise in Oracle’s AI-powered cloud business.
- Sep 11, 2025,
- Updated Sep 11, 2025 3:17 PM IST
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison briefly became the world’s richest person on 10 September 2025, after a historic surge in Oracle’s stock price boosted his fortune by around $101 billion overnight. The rally pushed Ellison’s net worth above that of Tesla chief Elon Musk, who has since reclaimed the top spot.
AI-fuelled surge in Oracle shares
Oracle’s stock jumped by more than 40% in early trading after the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings and unveiled major multi-billion-dollar contracts tied to its cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure. The rally sent Oracle’s market capitalisation close to the $1 trillion mark, making it one of the biggest single-day gains in the company’s history.
Because Ellison holds more than 40% of Oracle’s shares, the surge translated directly into his personal wealth, briefly lifting him above Musk in real-time billionaire rankings tracked by Bloomberg.
Who is Larry Ellison?
Lawrence Joseph Ellison, born in New York in 1944, co-founded Oracle in 1977. He served as chief executive for nearly four decades before becoming executive chairman and chief technology officer in 2014.
Under his leadership, Oracle built its dominance in enterprise software through its flagship database products and expanded aggressively into cloud services. Ellison is also known for overseeing high-profile acquisitions, including PeopleSoft, Sun Microsystems and NetSuite, moves that helped Oracle consolidate its position in the enterprise IT market.
Musk reclaims the top spot
While Ellison’s paper fortune briefly eclipsed Musk’s, Tesla’s chief executive regained the title of the world’s richest man by the end of trading, as Oracle’s stock pared back some of its intraday gains. According to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index, Musk’s net worth stood at about $384.2 billion, narrowly ahead of Ellison’s $383.2 billion.
The dramatic swings underline how volatile wealth rankings can be when tied to stock market movements, especially for founders with outsized stakes in their companies.
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Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison briefly became the world’s richest person on 10 September 2025, after a historic surge in Oracle’s stock price boosted his fortune by around $101 billion overnight. The rally pushed Ellison’s net worth above that of Tesla chief Elon Musk, who has since reclaimed the top spot.
AI-fuelled surge in Oracle shares
Oracle’s stock jumped by more than 40% in early trading after the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings and unveiled major multi-billion-dollar contracts tied to its cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure. The rally sent Oracle’s market capitalisation close to the $1 trillion mark, making it one of the biggest single-day gains in the company’s history.
Because Ellison holds more than 40% of Oracle’s shares, the surge translated directly into his personal wealth, briefly lifting him above Musk in real-time billionaire rankings tracked by Bloomberg.
Who is Larry Ellison?
Lawrence Joseph Ellison, born in New York in 1944, co-founded Oracle in 1977. He served as chief executive for nearly four decades before becoming executive chairman and chief technology officer in 2014.
Under his leadership, Oracle built its dominance in enterprise software through its flagship database products and expanded aggressively into cloud services. Ellison is also known for overseeing high-profile acquisitions, including PeopleSoft, Sun Microsystems and NetSuite, moves that helped Oracle consolidate its position in the enterprise IT market.
Musk reclaims the top spot
While Ellison’s paper fortune briefly eclipsed Musk’s, Tesla’s chief executive regained the title of the world’s richest man by the end of trading, as Oracle’s stock pared back some of its intraday gains. According to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index, Musk’s net worth stood at about $384.2 billion, narrowly ahead of Ellison’s $383.2 billion.
The dramatic swings underline how volatile wealth rankings can be when tied to stock market movements, especially for founders with outsized stakes in their companies.
For Unparalleled coverage of India's Businesses and Economy – Subscribe to Business Today Magazine