Oracle founder Larry Ellison has claimed the title of the world’s second-richest man, surpassing Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg.
His net worth has soared to $251 billion after a remarkable $60 billion increase in 2025 alone, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The growth in Ellison’s fortune is largely tied to the stellar performance of Oracle, the software giant he co-founded in 1977.
The company’s stock has jumped by 41% this year, boosted by booming demand for artificial intelligence technology and recent earnings that exceeded investor expectations.
Moreover, Oracle’s growing involvement in AI infrastructure and massive global investments have played a major role in this leap.
Just recently, Oracle announced a $3 billion investment in Europe aimed at expanding its cloud and AI services in Germany and the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, Ellison’s influence in the AI space is gaining even more traction.
His close ties with the U.S. government were spotlighted when he joined other tech leaders in support of President Trump’s Stargate initiative.
The program, designed to keep the U.S. ahead in the global AI race, is backed by a whopping $500 billion commitment to build AI infrastructure over the next four years.
Oracle, along with partners like OpenAI, SoftBank, and MGX, is a founding member of the Stargate project.
The company also plays a strategic role in shaping the future of AI technology alongside other industry leaders including Microsoft, Nvidia, and Arm.
The recent success of Oracle, which reported a revenue of $15.9 billion in Q4 with performance obligations rising to $138 billion, has excited investors.
However, some analysts remain cautious. A note by Goldman Sachs pointed out: “We continue to see risk that Oracle may over-index investments to the low-margin and capital-intensive training cycle.”
Despite such concerns, investor confidence remains high. Like Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Ellison has seen his fortune balloon thanks to the market’s appetite for AI stocks.
In addition to his business gains, Ellison has revisited his philanthropic journey.
In a post shared on X, he revealed an update to his earlier commitment to the Giving Pledge.
“There are additional ways that I would like to invest my time and resources in giving back to the world we share,” he wrote.
He also announced the launch of the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) at the University of Oxford.
According to him, the institute’s mission includes tackling critical global issues like hunger, healthcare, and climate change.
“So, I am amending my giving pledge and promising to do more by concentrating my resources on the Institute,” he added.
Ellison’s pledge now focuses on practical solutions.
These include better healthcare through advanced medicine, food security via engineered crops, and clean energy systems to fight climate change.
This renewed focus on philanthropy reinforces Ellison’s broader vision of giving back while still pushing the boundaries of technology.
