Oracle Co-founder Larry Ellison added $40 billion to his net worth in just two days, reaching a total of $258 billion and becoming the world’s second richest man.
The billionaire tech executive overtook Amazon chairman Jeff Bezos and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg after a massive rally in Oracle shares following the company’s better-than-expected earnings.
According to a recent Forbes publication, Oracle’s stock jumped 13% on Thursday and gained another 7% by mid-Friday, trading at a record high of about $215 per share.
This two-day rally added $104 billion to Oracle’s market capitalisation—more than the entire valuation of companies like Intel or Nike, according to Forbes data.
The sharp increase in Ellison’s wealth, $25 billion on Thursday and $16 billion on Friday, was driven by his 41% ownership in the company he co-founded in 1977. Only Elon Musk, with a net worth of $414 billion, ranks higher than Ellison on Forbes’ real-time billionaires list.
“Ellison’s net worth accordingly rocketed by more than $40 billion to $258 billion from Wednesday to Friday, enjoying easily the largest daily bump of any billionaire on both Thursday and Friday when his fortune rose by about $25 billion and $16 billion, respectively, according to Forbes data.
“That gain was enough to vault Ellison past Amazon chairman Jeff Bezos ($228 billion net worth) and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg ($238 billion) for the second spot on Forbes’ real-time billionaires ranking. Ellison is now only less wealthy than his longtime friend Elon Musk ($414 billion net worth),” the Forbes report read in part.
The Forbes report further highlighted that the rally was sparked by Oracle’s quarterly earnings report released on Wednesday, which beat Wall Street expectations.
The company reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.70 and revenue of $15.9 billion for the period ending last month. The performance was attributed to growing demand for Oracle’s cloud infrastructure, especially in supporting artificial intelligence workloads.
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Analysts viewed the earnings as a pivotal moment in Oracle’s trajectory. Brad Zelnick of Deutsche Bank referred to it as a watershed event for the company, highlighting its significance in reshaping investor confidence.
Meanwhile, Derrick Wood of TD Cowen noted that Oracle’s 2026 fiscal year, which began this month, could mark a period of accelerated growth, largely propelled by the expanding adoption of artificial intelligence technologies.
- Oracle has established itself as a critical player in the AI and cloud infrastructure space, with its platforms supporting major applications and government data. It is also the hosting provider for TikTok’s U.S. user data.
- Ellison, aged 80, remains actively involved in tech and political circles. He previously served on Tesla’s board, contributed to GOP campaign efforts, and recently helped launch Stargate, a joint AI infrastructure venture between Oracle, SoftBank, and OpenAI, unveiled alongside former U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Oracle stock surge and Ellison’s wealth boost reflect the broader investor enthusiasm around AI infrastructure providers. As AI continues to shape the future of enterprise computing, Oracle and Ellison are reaping the financial rewards.
