World’s Richest Shake-Up: Ellison Tops Musk
In a dramatic twist on Wednesday, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison briefly claimed the title of the world’s richest person, edging past Elon Musk with an estimated net worth of $393 billion, driven by one of the largest single-day wealth gains ever recorded The Times of India+2Reuters+2.
A Sudden Surge
Ellison’s stake in Oracle, roughly 41 percent, soared after the company unveiled its quarterly earnings and signed a series of massive AI-cloud infrastructure deals—including a $300 billion contract with OpenAI—propelling its stock up around 40 percent intraday. That jump alone added approximately $100 billion to his net worth in a single trading session—a record high for the Bloomberg Billionaires Index The Times of India+1.
Musk’s Brief Slip
Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s net worth hovered near $385 billion, as Tesla shares remained under pressure in 2025. The sudden shift, however, was fleeting: by market close, Oracle’s stock had retreated slightly—Ellison dropped just behind Musk once again 6abc Philadelphia+3The Guardian+3The Times of India+3.
Why It Matters
This event highlights how quickly fortunes can change among the ultra-wealthy, especially when tied to public company stock values and booming sectors like AI cloud infrastructure. Oracle’s expanding role as the backbone for AI firms—such as OpenAI, xAI, Meta, Nvidia and others—continues to strengthen Ellison’s wealth base Investopedia+2Reuters+2.
Who Is Larry Ellison?
At 81 years old, Larry Ellison co-founded Oracle in the late 1970s and shaped it into a leading enterprise software and cloud infrastructure company. A former college dropout, Ellison built Oracle from a small startup into a multibillion-dollar tech giant. He owns properties including 98 percent of the Hawaiian island of Lāna‘i, and holds stakes in Tesla, major sporting events, and media ventures.
Despite stepping down as CEO in 2014, Ellison remains Oracle’s executive chairman and chief technology officer, steering its current push into AI-powered cloud computing Wikipedia+1.
The Takeaway
- Ellison’s one-day gain of ~$100 billion marks an unprecedented jump in wealth rankings.
- Oracle’s AI cloud contracts are fueling its stock surge, making it a vital infrastructure partner for leading AI companies.
- Musk retains close standing, and these rankings can flip quickly based on market swings.
- As AI-related demand climbs, Oracle is increasingly recognized as a core player—its stock moves now carry outsized billionaire rankings weight Reuters+2Investopedia+2.
While Elon Musk has historically held the top spot since 2021, this rare shift underscores how volatile and competitive the billionaire leaderboard has become within the tech elite The Guardian+2Wikipedia+2.
At the close of trading on September 10, Musk reclaimed the number one position, but the dramatic surge behind Ellison’s net worth has captured global attention—and reminded investors that in today’s AI-driven markets, fortunes can fly overnight.
