#6 Larry Ellison

CTO and Founder, Oracle
Photo by Jamel Toppin for Forbes

REAL TIME NET WORTH

$71.9B
as of 7/17/20
$1 B | 1.38%
Reflects change since 5 PM ET of prior trading day
  • Larry Ellison cofounded software firm Oracle in 1977 to tap into the growing need for customer relationship management databases.
  • He gave up the Oracle CEO role in 2014 but still serves as chairman of the board and chief technology officer.
  • Oracle has grown in part through steady acquisitions of software companies, the biggest of which was $9.3 billion for Netsuite in 2016.
  • In May 2016, Ellison pledged $200 million to the University of Southern California for a cancer treatment center.
  • In 2012, Ellison spent $300 million to buy nearly all of Hawaiian island Lanai; so far, he has built a hydroponic farm and a luxury spa there.
  • Ellison joined Tesla's board in December 2018, after purchasing 3 million Tesla shares earlier that year.
Stats
Age75
Source of Wealthsoftware, Self Made
ResidenceWoodside, California
CitizenshipUnited States
Marital StatusIn Relationship
Children4
EducationDrop Out, University of Chicago; Drop Out, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Did you know

Ellison never finished college. He started out building databases for the CIA.
Daughter Megan has financed films such as Zero Dark Thirty and American Hustle; son David produced mainstream movies like The Terminator and Mission: Impossible.

Net worth over time

$47.5B
Forbes 400
September 2015
$43.6B
Billionaires
March 2016
$49.3B
Forbes 400
October 2016
$52.2B
Billionaires
March 2017
$59B
Forbes 400
October 2017
$58.5B
Billionaires
March 2018
$58.4B
Forbes 400
October 2018
$62.5B
Billionaires
March 2019
$65B
Forbes 400
October 2019
$59B
Billionaires
April 2020

When people start telling you that you're crazy, you just might be on to the most important innovation in your life.

Larry Ellison

More on Forbes

Key Connections
Safra Catz
Business Partner
Oracle
Holds stake in Oracle