Meet man who dropped out of college, was once a playboy, now world's second richest ahead of Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, his net worth is Rs...

Oracle Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Larry Ellison's net worth, has surpassed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to become the second-richest man in the world, only behind Elon Musk, according to the Forbes Billionaire List. Larry Ellison's wealth saw a massive surge last week, hitting $258.8 billion (Rs 2,225,939 crore) in June 2025 - a USD 66.8 billion rise from the previous USD 192 billion.

Who is Larry Ellison?

Larry Ellison was born Lawrence Joseph Ellison on August 17, 1944, in Bronx to a single mother. He was just nine months old when he was sent to live with his aunt and uncle in Chicago after contracting pneumonia. His adoptive father, Louis Ellison, was a Russian immigrant who changed his name in honor of Ellis Island, where he arrived in the United States.

Growing up in Chicago's South Side, Ellison attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. During this time, his adoptive mother passed away when he was in the second year. He tried college again at the University of Chicago but dropped out after a single semester. It wasn't until 1966 that Ellison moved to Berkeley, California, the emerging hub of the tech industry, and found his calling in the world of computers and programming.

Ellison's big break came when he joined Ampex, an electronics company working on a database project for the CIA codenamed 'Oracle'. Inspired by the theories of IBM computer scientist Edgar F Codd, Ellison and his partners, Bob Miner and Ed Oates, founded Software Development Laboratories in 1977 with just $2,000 in funding, $1,200 of which came from Ellison himself. 

Oracle had its initial public offering, reporting revenue of $55 million in 1986. However, there were challenges along the way, including layoffs and public relations battles with competitors like Informix. In 2004, Oracle acquired HR software provider PeopleSoft for $10.3 billion, and in 2010, it bought Sun Microsystems, a server company. Ellison has been married four times and divorced as well, which, combined with his immense wealth, has earned him a reputation as a cosmopolitan and jet-setting playboy. His most recent relationship is with Nikita Kahn, a Ukrainian model, actress and animal rights activist. The billionaire has been deeply devoted to Kahn, even naming a luxury restaurant in Malibu after her.

Bloomberg data shows Larry Ellison holding more than 40 per cent of the tech company along with a stake in Elon Musk's Tesla, a sailing team, a tennis event and real estate, including the Lanai island in Hawaii.