12/09/2025
Larry Ellison, the co-founder and chairman of Oracle, has officially overtaken Elon Musk to become the world’s richest person as of September 10, 2025.
His rise to the top spot comes after an extraordinary surge in Oracle’s stock, which jumped by nearly 40% in a single day. This massive increase was fueled by investor excitement over Oracle’s growing role in artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure, areas where global demand is booming.
According to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index, Ellison’s net worth soared to around $393 billion, while Elon Musk’s wealth stood at about $385 billion. The Financial Times also confirmed Ellison’s wealth at over $389 billion, making him the wealthiest person alive for the first time in history. This marks one of the largest one-day gains ever recorded for an individual, with Ellison’s fortune reportedly swelling by more than $100 billion in just hours.
The key driver behind this sudden growth is Oracle’s AI strategy. The company has signed multibillion-dollar deals, including a landmark $30 billion annual agreement with OpenAI, and is forecasting revenue growth that could exceed half a trillion dollars in the near future. Oracle’s expansion into cloud infrastructure and AI services has positioned the company as a major player in the next wave of technological transformation.
In contrast, Elon Musk’s fortune has declined due to Tesla’s stock losing about 25% of its value since late 2024, combined with political controversies and challenges in the electric vehicle market. While Musk remains enormously wealthy, this dip allowed Ellison to overtake him.
Ellison’s achievement highlights how rapidly fortunes can shift in the tech world, especially when driven by emerging technologies like AI. His new status also reflects the changing dynamics of global business, where AI is reshaping both companies and personal wealth at record speed.
DATA