Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison has surpassed Mark Zuckerberg to become the world’s second-richest person, fueled by a surge in Oracle’s stock price as the company intensifies its focus on artificial intelligence.
Ellison, now 80, has amassed a net worth of $251 billion, gaining nearly $60 billion in 2025 alone, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. His fortune is primarily tied to his 40% ownership in Oracle, the software company he founded in 1977. The stock has climbed 41% year-to-date, bolstered by a strong rally in recent weeks.
Mirroring the rapid ascent of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Ellison’s wealth has grown as investor enthusiasm for AI-driven tech stocks continues to accelerate in today’s innovation-led market.
Despite ongoing uncertainty in global markets under the current U.S. administration, AI-related stocks have delivered impressive gains. Huang recently confirmed that Nvidia had secured U.S. government clearance to resume advanced chip exports to China, adding further momentum to the sector.
Ellison has also been a key figure in the Biden administration’s AI initiatives. He was among several tech industry leaders at the launch of Stargate, a government-backed project designed to strengthen America’s leadership in artificial intelligence.
Oracle is one of the founding equity members of Stargate, alongside SoftBank, OpenAI, and MGX. The program plans to invest $500 billion in AI infrastructure over the next four years. Oracle and OpenAI are also primary technology partners in the initiative, joining major firms like Arm, Microsoft, and Nvidia.
The recent rise in Oracle’s stock is being attributed not only to its AI connections but also to strong quarterly performance and continued strategic investment in cloud and AI infrastructure.
In May, Oracle announced its fiscal Q4 revenue reached $15.9 billion, an 11% year-over-year increase. The company also reported a 41% jump in remaining performance obligations to $138 billion, indicating strong forward momentum.
Riding this growth, Oracle revealed a $3 billion expansion plan targeting cloud and AI infrastructure in Germany and the Netherlands.
However, some analysts remain cautious. In a June note, Goldman Sachs maintained a ‘neutral’ stance on Oracle after its earnings report.
They wrote: “While we are encouraged by the clear OCI [Oracle Cloud Infrastructure] demand momentum, we continue to see risk that Oracle may over-index investments to the low-margin and capital-intensive training cycle, which may weigh on FCF generation for the foreseeable future.”
With the surge in AI investment, other tech figures are also seeing their fortunes rise. Jensen Huang has now overtaken Warren Buffett in net worth, reaching $149 billion—up over $34 billion this year—while Buffett’s sits at $141 billion.
Beyond his business endeavors, Ellison has reaffirmed his philanthropic commitment. He recently renewed his participation in the Giving Pledge, promising to donate the majority of his wealth.
Ellison first joined the pledge—founded in 2010 by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett—committing to give away 95% of his fortune. This week, he reiterated that promise while unveiling a new initiative, the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), based at the University of Oxford, focused on applied science and global impact.
Posting on X, Ellison stated: “There are additional ways that I would like to invest my time and resources in giving back to the world we share.”
He continued: “EIT’s humane endeavors include transforming healthcare by designing and distributing a new generation of life-saving drugs, combating world hunger by engineering higher-yielding crops and building a global network of low-cost indoor growing systems, and slowing climate change by developing efficient clean energy generation and storage systems.
“So, I am amending my giving pledge and promising to do more—by concentrating my resources on the Institute. I believe this will improve our chances of delivering practical solutions to the problems of hunger, healthcare and climate change.”