Larry Ellison officially became the richest person in the world, overtaking Elon Musk in a stunning financial surge on Wednesday.
Ellison’s net worth clocked in at nearly $400 billion, edging past Musk’s $385 billion, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index.
The catalyst was Oracle’s massive 40% stock jump, triggered by the company’s announcement of a staggering $450 billion-plus cloud services backlog. Anchored by heavyweight deals with Nvidia and OpenAI, the figure could surpass half a trillion dollars in the coming months. Oracle’s market cap closed in on the $1 trillion mark during trading, lifting Ellison’s personal wealth by an unfathomable $105 billion in just one day.
“Over the next few months, we expect to sign-up several additional multi-billion-dollar customers,” Oracle said in a statement.
Beyond Oracle, the Ellison family has been busy reshaping industries. His son, David Ellison, recently completed an $8 billion takeover of Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS and MTV. That deal leaned heavily on $6 billion in family funds, further cementing the Ellisons as power players in media.
Larry’s influence also stretches onto the playing field. The 81-year-old billionaire has become a mega-booster for Michigan football through a $10 million NIL donation that helped flip five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood from LSU to the Wolverines. Working alongside his wife, Jolin, a Michigan alumna, Ellison played a hands-on role in the recruitment process.
Underwood, now the centerpiece of Michigan’s 2025 class, signed an NIL package worth up to $12 million over four years. He’s already under the spotlight—throwing for 251 yards and a touchdown in a Week 1 win over New Mexico, before facing a tougher outing in a loss to Oklahoma.
Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy summed up Ellison’s impact best. “When Larry zeroes in on somebody, it’s a done deal,” he said.
Ellison’s sudden leap into first place on the global wealth chart only reinforces that message when Ellison makes his move, it's game over.
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