Oracle's Larry Ellison Becomes World's 2nd Richest, Surpassing Zuckerberg and Bezos

Oracle co-founder and Chairman Larry Ellison has surged to the No. 2 spot on the global billionaire rankings, overtaking tech giants Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos. The dramatic climb follows Oracle's robust earnings report, which sent its stock soaring and added billions to Ellison's fortune.

According to Forbes' real-time billionaire rankings as of June 15, Ellison's net worth now stands at $258.8 billion, placing him just behind Elon Musk, who remains the world's richest with $410.8 billion. This marks a gain of over $66 billion in just two months — Ellison was ranked fourth in April with $192 billion.

Oracle's stock closed at $200 on June 13 after the company reported strong earnings of $1.70 per share on revenue of $15.9 billion. The market reaction was swift, pushing Ellison past both Meta's Mark Zuckerberg ($235.7 billion) and Amazon's Jeff Bezos ($226.8 billion) in the wealth charts.

Oracle's role in the U.S. government's AI ambitions—especially under President Donald Trump's "Project Stargate"—has also drawn investor attention. Partnering with OpenAI and SoftBank, Oracle has positioned itself as a major AI infrastructure provider. Ellison's strong public advocacy for AI, including controversial statements about its use in societal monitoring, has kept him in the spotlight.

At 80, Ellison remains actively involved in the company as Chairman and CTO. He founded Oracle in 1977 and led it as CEO until 2014. Notable acquisitions under his leadership include the $28.3 billion purchase of health tech firm Cerner in 2021.

With this financial leap, Zuckerberg now moves to third place, while Bezos slips to fourth. Warren Buffett, 94 and now retired, rounds out the top five with $152.1 billion.

(With inputs from agencies)