Larry Ellison’s Ambitions Beyond Having Fun and Surrounding Himself with Beautiful Things
For decades, Larry Ellison reveled in being the Silicon Valley executive who really knew how to have a good time. He spent as much as $200 million building a Japanese-inspired imperial villa near Palo Alto, Calif., bought the sixth-largest Hawaiian island and dated and married and divorced with never-ending zeal. Few paid much attention to exactly what his database company, Oracle, did. Sometimes, neither did Mr. Ellison. He did not show up for his keynote talk at Oracle’s annual convention in San Francisco in 2013 because he was on his yacht trying to win the America’s Cup, which he did. A biography about him was titled, "The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison: God Doesn’t Think He’s Larry Ellison."
A New Path Laid Down by His Friend Elon Musk
Now 80 years old and married for the fifth or possibly the sixth time, Mr. Ellison is expanding his ambitions beyond having fun and surrounding himself with beautiful things. Following a path laid down by his friend Mr. Musk, who has at least six companies that feed off one another, Mr. Ellison also appears to be planning to grow his corporate empire. Oracle keeps emerging as a possible bidder for TikTok, the wildly popular video app that Congress has decreed needs to divest itself of its ownership by the Chinese internet company ByteDance or be banned in the United States.
The Ellison Family’s Ambitions
The tech moguls have been unleashed. Mr. Musk, backed by President Trump, has obliterated the lines between public and private. He is blowing up government agencies and using his vast wealth to try to sway elections. Mr. Ellison, who may be closer to Mr. Trump than any mogul this side of Mr. Musk, appears to want nothing less than to bring the country under the benevolent sway of artificial intelligence, which he has said will bring about an era of bounty and harmony. One company, even if it is as successful as Oracle, might not help him get close to this goal. Several, though, might.
The Quest for Data
Mr. Ellison’s quest for data has hit setbacks. In November, a federal court in California gave final approval to a settlement over a class-action suit that accused Oracle of improperly capturing and selling individuals’ online and offline data without their permission. Oracle agreed to pay $115 million without admitting wrongdoing. During Mr. Ellison’s flamboyant heyday in the 1990s, he provided a striking contrast to what was then a relatively sober Silicon Valley. He described his office style as "management by ridicule." After Oracle had a self-inflicted near-death experience, he explained, "Oracle is run by adolescents. And that includes me."
Conclusion
The Ellison family’s ambitions are shifting from having fun and surrounding themselves with beautiful things to growing their corporate empire. With a fortune of $175 billion, there is not much left for Mr. Ellison to buy that would seriously dent his wallet. He is planning to combine thousands of databases into one enormous electronic repository, which can be mined by A.I. That will cure diseases and fix everything else, he told Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, at a symposium on reinventing government held in Dubai in February.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are Larry Ellison’s ambitions?
A: Larry Ellison’s ambitions are expanding beyond having fun and surrounding himself with beautiful things to growing his corporate empire.
Q: What is Oracle’s role in TikTok?
A: Oracle is a possible bidder for TikTok, a wildly popular video app that Congress has decreed needs to divest itself of its ownership by the Chinese internet company ByteDance or be banned in the United States.
Q: What is the significance of the algorithm in the context of TikTok?
A: The algorithm is crucial to TikTok’s success, and it seems unlikely that any new owner would be able to replicate its magic.
Q: How does Elon Musk fit into this picture?
A: Elon Musk, a friend of Larry Ellison’s, has laid down a path for Mr. Ellison to follow, and Mr. Musk’s ownership of Twitter (now called X) has likely influenced Mr. Ellison’s interest in TikTok.
