Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison briefly surpassed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to become the world’s second-richest person, as Oracle’s stock enjoyed its best week on the market since 2021. Ellison’s net worth climbed to $208.4 billion after the market opened, before settling at $197 billion, according to Forbes’ real-time billionaire rankings. Meanwhile, Bezos’ wealth stands at $204 billion, placing him just ahead of Ellison. The only person above both is Tesla CEO Elon Musk, with a net worth of $252 billion.
Oracle’s stock closed at $162.03 on Friday, following an increase in the company’s fiscal 2026 revenue forecast and optimistic projections extending to fiscal 2029. The boost comes after a strong quarterly report and a surge in Oracle shares, which have risen about 54% this year. Oracle’s success is largely driven by its advancements in cloud infrastructure and the growing adoption of its cloud databases.
Ellison, 80, co-founded Oracle in 1977 and owns around 40% of the company’s outstanding shares, making him its largest shareholder. His wealth has surged alongside Oracle’s revival in recent years, as the company strengthens its foothold in the cloud market.
The rivalry between Ellison and Bezos intensified just days after their companies announced a new partnership. Oracle’s database software will now be available to Amazon Web Services (AWS) customers, a move that is expected to further fuel Oracle’s growth in the cloud space. Ellison believes Oracle’s position in both cloud and traditional data centers puts it in a strong competitive stance.
“This collaboration with AWS, along with similar partnerships with Microsoft and Google, will accelerate our cloud growth,” Ellison remarked on Oracle’s latest earnings call.
