Surpassing Musk! 81-Year-Old “Son-in-Law of Shenyang” Crowned the World’s Richest Person

On September 10 (local time), Oracle shares skyrocketed, briefly propelling its founder, Larry Ellison, into the No. 1 spot on the global rich list. His net worth surged by nearly $100 billion in intraday trading, peaking at an astonishing $393 billion—overtaking Elon Musk to claim the world’s richest title.

For much of the day, Ellison remained at the top. By market close, however, Oracle’s stock—despite ending up 36%—gave back part of its gains, allowing Musk to reclaim first place. According to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Ellison’s net worth now stands at $383 billion, just $1 billion shy of Musk’s.

A Remarkable Wealth Surge

From the start of the year, Ellison’s fortune has ballooned by almost $200 billion, while Musk’s has fallen by nearly $50 billion. This dramatic rise is primarily tied to Oracle’s soaring share price—Ellison holds about 1.16 billion shares, representing roughly 41% of the company’s outstanding stock.

Oracle’s latest quarterly earnings beat market expectations, fueled by multi-billion-dollar contracts and a cloud infrastructure revenue forecast far above analysts’ projections. Among the highlights: over $450 billion in cloud service orders and several billion-dollar computing deals with NVIDIA and OpenAI. The company also hinted at more multi-billion-dollar customer signings in the coming months.

From Start-Up Visionary to Tech Titan

Over 40 years ago, Ellison co-founded Oracle, building it into one of the world’s most influential technology companies. Beyond his business empire, Ellison’s life has been as colorful as his career—marked by six marriages to partners ranging from corporate staff to a novelist and a model.

In December 2024, he married Zhu Qiaolin—also known as Zhu Keran—born in 1991 in Shenyang, China. An alumna of the prestigious Northeast Yucai School, she moved to the U.S. in 2010, earning a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from the University of Michigan in 2012. Their “May–December” romance has drawn comparisons to Wendi Deng, earning Zhu the nickname “Little Wendi Deng.”

A Life of Opulence and Friendships at the Top

Ellison is famous for his lavish lifestyle, financed through debt, Oracle stock sales, and dividends. His pursuits range from yachts, private jets, and luxury estates to owning the America’s Cup sailing team and the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament.

A long-time friend of Elon Musk, Ellison even supported Musk’s Twitter acquisition. He was also one of Steve Jobs’ closest confidants and neighbors. Ellison often invited the Jobs family aboard his yacht, leading Jobs’ son to fondly refer to him as “our rich friend.”

In Jobs’ final days, Ellison stayed by his side, taking short walks together as Jobs’ strength waned. “In the end, we could only manage a few blocks,” Ellison recalled in an interview. “I just watched him grow weaker and weaker.”