Oracle’s Crown Jewel: Larry Ellison Closes in on Musk as Wealth Rankings Reshuffle After Record Stock Surge

By: Russ Spencer

UPDATE: Larry Ellison has become the world’s richest person for the first time, ending Elon Musk’s nearly year-long reign in the top spot. Ellison’s fortune soared to $393 billion after Oracle’s latest earnings report. Musk is worth $385 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Ed Ludlow reports.

In a dramatic reshaping of the global wealth hierarchy, Larry Ellison, Jewish co-founder of Oracle Corporation, is rapidly closing the gap with Elon Musk after a stunning surge in Oracle’s stock value. Following Tuesday’s market close, Oracle shares soared in after-hours trading to $305, catapulting Ellison’s fortune to an estimated $380 billion. The leap, reported on Tuesday by VIN News, positions Ellison closer than ever to overtaking Musk, who remains the world’s wealthiest individual with a net worth of approximately $435.6 billion.

The market’s bullish response to Oracle’s earnings underscored a wave of investor confidence in the company’s strategic trajectory. Oracle, long a pillar of enterprise software, has reinvented itself in recent years as a formidable competitor in cloud services and artificial intelligence. As the VIN News report observed, this shift has been driven in no small part by the leadership of Israeli-born CEO Safra A. Catz, who has presided over one of the most remarkable transformations in Silicon Valley.

Catz, a trusted confidante of Ellison for decades, has emphasized disciplined growth, cost management, and a pivot to cloud infrastructure. Oracle’s latest financial results reflect this strategy’s success, with revenue from cloud computing and AI services exceeding expectations. “The market is rewarding vision and execution,” VIN News noted, “and Catz’s stewardship has elevated Oracle to new heights.”

Ellison, 80, has been no stranger to the upper echelons of global wealth, but the latest surge marks his closest approach yet to Musk’s seemingly unassailable lead. For decades, Ellison has been regarded as one of the most iconic figures in the technology industry, famed for his flamboyant style, competitive instincts, and willingness to place bold bets on emerging trends.

According to the information provided in the VIN News report, Ellison’s wealth, rooted in his significant holdings of Oracle shares, has often fluctuated with the company’s fortunes. Yet in the post-pandemic tech economy, marked by exponential growth in demand for AI-driven systems, Ellison has emerged as one of the principal beneficiaries. His net worth, now pegged at $380 billion, not only highlights the strength of Oracle’s market position but also underscores the growing centrality of cloud computing in the global economy.

Despite Ellison’s meteoric rise, Elon Musk retains his lead, buoyed by the performance of Tesla and his portfolio of high-profile ventures. Tesla stock inched upward to $346.97, sustaining Musk’s net worth at approximately $435.6 billion. As the VIN News report pointed out, Musk’s position remains commanding, but the narrowing gap illustrates the volatile interplay of technology markets and personal fortunes.

Musk, whose wealth is spread across Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and The Boring Company, has often been subject to rapid swings depending on market conditions. Analysts cited by VIN News suggested that while Tesla’s recent modest gains have stabilized Musk’s financial standing, the company faces intense competition in the electric vehicle space — in contrast to Oracle’s recent acceleration in markets tied to AI and enterprise technology.

Much of the focus has fallen on Oracle CEO Safra Catz, whom the VIN News report highlighted as a critical figure in the company’s renaissance. Born in Holon, Israel, and later emigrating to the United States, Catz has been a driving force at Oracle since joining the company in 1999. Rising through the ranks to become co-president and eventually sole CEO in 2014, she has built a reputation as one of the most powerful women in global business.

Under her stewardship, Oracle has aggressively expanded into cloud computing, acquired strategic assets, and positioned itself as an indispensable partner to industries ranging from finance to healthcare. Catz’s Israeli roots, combined with her pragmatic style, have also reinforced Oracle’s strong ties to the Israeli tech ecosystem — a relationship that the VIN News report described as both strategically advantageous and culturally resonant.

The surge in Oracle’s valuation reflects broader market dynamics favoring companies with deep investments in artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure. As corporations worldwide accelerate digital transformation, Oracle has leveraged its legacy in database management to capture new demand. Analysts quoted in the VIN News report have argued that Oracle’s ability to marry AI with enterprise applications has been central to its recent growth.

The company’s cloud infrastructure division, once dismissed as a laggard compared to rivals like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, has demonstrated remarkable resilience and innovation. Oracle’s recent wins in large-scale government contracts and corporate partnerships have reinforced investor sentiment, fueling the stock’s upward trajectory.

Ellison’s ascent has significant implications for the global rankings of billionaires, a list closely tracked by media outlets and investors alike. According to the information contained in the VIN News report, Ellison’s rise to $380 billion places him within striking distance of Musk — a feat few would have predicted even two years ago.

The symbolic importance of the race cannot be overstated. Musk has long epitomized the modern tech billionaire archetype, a visionary entrepreneur dominating headlines with ventures in space, transportation, and digital infrastructure. Ellison, by contrast, represents an earlier generation of Silicon Valley pioneers, one whose wealth and influence have grown steadily but without the same level of spectacle.

“Ellison’s resurgence demonstrates that disciplined execution and a focus on enterprise technology can be just as rewarding as audacious moonshots,” VIN News observed in its coverage.

Ellison’s growing fortune also raises questions about the role of philanthropy and global influence. Known for his extensive real estate holdings, yachting interests, and lifestyle, Ellison has in recent years channeled increasing resources into medical research, education, and Israeli causes. VIN News has frequently noted Ellison’s strong ties to Jewish philanthropy, including contributions to institutions advancing healthcare and scientific research.

His proximity to Musk in the wealth rankings will likely amplify scrutiny of how these fortunes are deployed — whether through investments in transformative technology, political influence, or charitable endeavors.

Looking ahead, analysts warn that both Ellison’s and Musk’s fortunes remain tied to volatile markets. While Oracle’s recent performance has been stellar, competition in AI and cloud computing is fierce, and sustained momentum will require continued innovation. Tesla, meanwhile, remains a market bellwether for electric vehicles but faces pressures from Chinese manufacturers and regulatory scrutiny in the United States and Europe.

Still, as the VIN News report indicated, the moment reflects a striking convergence of two very different technology empires: Musk’s visionary, often speculative ventures, and Ellison’s steady, enterprise-driven powerhouse.

Larry Ellison’s dramatic rise in personal fortune, powered by Oracle’s transformation under the leadership of Safra Catz, signals a new phase in the race for global wealth supremacy. While Elon Musk remains on top, Ellison’s $380 billion net worth — amplified by investor confidence in Oracle’s cloud and AI strategies — has made him the most serious challenger yet.

As VIN News aptly put it, the competition between Musk and Ellison is more than just a billionaire rivalry; it reflects the competing visions of technology’s future — one rooted in audacious exploration, the other in disciplined enterprise innovation. For investors, policymakers, and ordinary citizens, the outcomes of these competing models will shape the trajectory of the global economy in the years to come.