Larry
Ellison
American entrepreneur and businessman; co-founder, former CEO, current CTO and executive chairman of Oracle Corporation; pioneer in relational databases and enterprise software; known for aggressive acquisitions, yachting competitions, Hawaiian island ownership, and massive philanthropy including medical research
The Timeline
Born Lawrence Joseph Ellison on August 17, 1944, in Bronx, New York, to unmarried Jewish mother Florence Spellman; contracted pneumonia at nine months and adopted by aunt Lillian and uncle Louis Ellison; raised in Chicago's South Shore middle-class Jewish neighborhood.
Early childhood in Chicago; adoptive parents provided stable home with warm mother and austere father influencing competitive personality.
Continued family life in South Shore; developed early independence and analytical mindset.
Ongoing development; exposure to Reform Jewish traditions and community values.
Family emphasized education; began showing strong will and intelligence.
Attended local elementary school; excelled academically despite family dynamics.
Continued schooling in Chicago; built resilience in urban middle-class environment.
Ongoing education; adoptive mother's support fostered ambition.
Deepened interest in science and math; family home encouraged self-reliance.
Attended South Shore High School; demonstrated aptitude in technical subjects.
Continued high school preparation; balanced academics with personal growth.
Ongoing studies; developed passion for problem-solving.
Intensified academic focus; prepared for college entrance.
High school years; excelled in science earning recognition.
Continued at South Shore High; adoptive mother's influence remained strong.
Deepened technical interests; planned pre-med studies.
Senior high school years; admitted to University of Illinois.
Enrolled at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as pre-med; named science student of the year.
Continued university studies; experienced adoptive mother's death impacting trajectory.
Withdrew from Illinois after sophomore year; spent summer in California exploring new paths.
Attended University of Chicago for one term studying physics and math; first encountered computer design.
Dropped out and moved to Berkeley, California; began career as programmer with odd jobs.
Worked at various tech firms including Amdahl and Ampex; learned database programming.
First marriage to Adda Quinn; continued building technical expertise.
Ongoing career development; inspired by Edgar Codd's relational database paper.
Worked on CIA database project code-named Oracle at Ampex.
Second brief marriage to Nancy Wheeler Jenkins.
Third marriage to Barbara Boothe; welcomed children David and Megan.
Continued professional growth in database technology.
Co-founded Software Development Laboratories with Bob Miner and Ed Oates investing personal funds.
Focused on sales and leadership as company developed Oracle database.
Released Oracle version 2; company renamed Relational Software Inc.
Ongoing expansion; became CEO emphasizing aggressive growth.
Company reorganized as Oracle Systems Corporation.
Continued building Oracle into database leader.
Navigated early company challenges; focused on innovation.
Oracle went public; massive success made Ellison wealthy.
Expanded acquisitions and competition with rivals.
Ongoing leadership amid market growth.
Corporate crisis with layoffs due to aggressive sales strategy.
Recovered Oracle financially; continued aggressive tactics.
Fourth marriage to Melanie Craft.
Major acquisitions including PeopleSoft amid controversy.
Ongoing dominance in enterprise software.
Acquired Sun Microsystems gaining Java and MySQL.
Net worth surged to billions; yachting and luxury pursuits.
Purchased majority of Hawaiian island Lanai.
Stepped down as CEO becoming CTO and chairman.
Fifth marriage and separation.
Moved permanently to Lanai; massive philanthropy including medical research.
Continued Oracle oversight; investments in Tesla board briefly.
Ongoing real estate and venture activities.
Major Florida property purchases; cancer startup closures.
Married Jolin Zhu; political involvement increased.
Net worth peaks and volatility with AI focus.
Oracle AI infrastructure expansion.
Ongoing acquisitions and cloud growth.
Continued dominance in database and cloud.
Investments in media and entertainment.
Philanthropy expansions.
Ongoing leadership in tech transformations.
AI deals surge Oracle value.
Continued aggressive business strategies.
Political and international influences.
Net worth fluctuations amid market changes.
Ongoing real estate and island development.
Philanthropy including Israeli causes.
Continued Oracle board role.
Investments in emerging tech.
Ongoing luxury and competitive pursuits.
Major AI infrastructure announcements.
Stargate project involvement with Altman and Son.
Media deals including Paramount backing.
TikTok acquisition interests.
Criticism over farming ventures.
Ongoing Hollywood financing.
Personal guarantees in major bids.
Continued AI dominance push.
Net worth peaks amid Oracle surge.
Political influence in tech policy.
Ongoing ventures and philanthropy.
Dominated 2025 headlines with AI deals, media bids backed personally (including $40B+ guarantees for Paramount/Warner), TikTok ambitions, and brief wealthiest person status at $393B; joined Stargate AI project announcement; faced criticism over Sensei Ag; remained Oracle CTO/chairman with massive influence in tech and entertainment.