Last Updated: July 16, 2025
Category:
Richest BusinessCEOs
Net Worth:
$256 Billion
Salary:
$75 Million
Birthdate:
Aug 17, 1944 (80 years old)
Birthplace:
Lower East Side
Gender:
Male
Height:
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Profession:
Entrepreneur, Businessperson, Investor
Nationality:
United States of America
  1. What Is Larry Ellison's Net Worth And Salary?
  2. Tesla Investment
  3. Personal Life
  4. Homes And Real Estate
  5. Gemini
  6. Lanai
  7. Other Toys
  8. Planes

What is Larry Ellison's Net Worth and Salary?

Larry Ellison is an American billionaire entrepreneur who has a net worth of $256 billion. Best known as the founder of Oracle Corporation, Larry Ellison built one of the most dominant and profitable software companies in history, serving as its CEO from its founding in 1977 until 2014 and remaining involved as chairman and chief technology officer. Oracle became a global leader in database software, enterprise systems, and cloud computing under his leadership, competing directly with giants like IBM, Microsoft, and SAP.

Ellison took Oracle public on March 12, 1986, just one day before his longtime rival Bill Gates took Microsoft public. At the time, Ellison owned 39% of Oracle, a stake worth $105 million by the end of its first day of trading. He would go on to become one of the most consistently well-compensated executives in corporate America, earning hundreds of millions annually in salary, bonuses, stock options, and dividends. Since 2003 alone, Ellison has earned an estimated $12 billion through Oracle stock sales and dividend payouts. He currently owns approximately 42% of the company, with a portion pledged as collateral for personal credit lines and debt.

Outside of Oracle, Ellison made headlines in 2018 when he disclosed a $1 billion personal investment in Tesla. That stake, amounting to around 1.5% of the company, surged in value during Tesla's meteoric rise, at one point being worth more than $15 billion when Tesla's market cap topped $1 trillion. He also served on Tesla's board of directors from 2018 to 2022.

Ellison's net worth has fluctuated dramatically with the fortunes of Oracle and Tesla, but has remained in the upper echelon of global wealth for decades. On July 16, 2025, he surpassed Mark Zuckerberg to become the second richest person in the world for the first time, with a net worth of $256 billion. At that point, Elon Musk was the richest person in the world with a net worth of $366 billion. Mark Zuckerberg was #3 at $247 billion, and Jeff Bezos was #4 at $243 billion. His net worth had more than tripled, from $80 billion, in late 2022.

In addition to his tech holdings, Ellison owns one of the most unique real estate assets on Earth: the Hawaiian island of Lanai, which he purchased for $300 million in 2012. His portfolio also includes expansive estates in Malibu, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, and Rhode Island, a collection of yachts, and multiple private jets.

Kimberly White/Getty Images

Tesla Investment

Over a period of months in 2018, Larry Ellison quietly spent around $1 billion to acquire 3 million shares of Tesla. He and Elon Musk are longtime friends. At the time he revealed his stake to the SEC, he owned 1.7% of Tesla. His 3 million shares became 15 million after the company did a 5-1 stock split in August 2020.

At various points in 2021, those 15 million shares were worth as much as $13 billion, but on average, closer to $10 billion. He left the Tesla Board in August 2022.

Larry Ellison in 2001 (Photo By Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Personal Life

Larry has been married four times and has two children. He was married to his most recent wife, romance novelist Melanie Craft, from 2003 to 2010. Larry's good friend Steve Jobs served as the official wedding photographer at their ceremony. He has two children from his third wife, Barbara Boothe, whom he was married to from 1983 to 1986. His two children, David and Megan Ellison, are film producers.

To date, Larry has donated at least $400 million of his personal wealth to various charities. He has also signed The Giving Pledge. In May 2016, Ellison donated $200 million to the University of Southern California to establish a cancer research center, the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine of USC.

(Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images)

Homes and Real Estate

Larry's real estate portfolio includes properties around the globe, including homes in Hawaii, Japan, Malibu, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, and Rhode Island. His primary residence is a 45-acre estate in Woodside, California, that is likely worth at least $200 million. The mansion is modeled after a 16th-century Japanese estate. It spans 45 acres and features a main house, a two-bedroom guest house, three cottages, a barn converted to a gym, and a 3-acre man-made lake that features two waterfalls. After the local township assessed his property at a value of $173 million and handed Ellison the tax bill, he challenged the value and won, receiving a 60% tax cut on his "$70 million" property.

Between 2004 and 2005, Larry spent $180 million to acquire 12 properties in Malibu, California. He spent $65 million on five contiguous properties on Malibu's ultra-exclusive Carbon Beach. In 2010, he spent $10.5 million to acquire the Astor family mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. In 2011, Larry spent $43 million to buy the 249-acre Porcupine Creek Estate golf course in Rancho Mirage, California.

In April 2021, Larry paid $80 million for a Palm Beach, Florida mansion. Situated on 7.35 acres of oceanfront property, the estate has a 15,500-square-foot mansion, several pools, a tennis court, and a sports center. In August 2022, he listed it for sale at $145 million.

Larry bought the Palm Beach mansion as his first step towards giving up his California residency. The longtime California resident had been openly frustrated by ever-increasing taxes and other intrusions on businesses.

By uprooting from California to Florida, Larry was no longer on the hook for California's Franchise Tax Board's 13% annual income tax rate. Over the last decade, Larry has received $1.7 billion in dividends from Oracle EVERY YEAR. By moving to Florida, he saves $230 million in taxes just on those dividend payments alone. That works out to $644,000 in savings every single day of Florida residency. At that rate, Larry paid for the entire $80 million cost of his new Florida mansion after just FOUR MONTHS.

Gemini

In June of 2022, Larry was revealed to be the purchaser of a 16-acre estate near Palm Beach, Florida, called Gemini. Larry paid $175 million for Gemini. The seller, fellow billionaire tech entrepreneur Jim Clark, bought the home 15 months earlier for $94 million. At the time of the sale, Larry's $175 million purchase price slid into third place on our list of the most expensive homes sold in US history. Here's a tour of Gemini:

Lanai

In June 2012, Larry spent $300 million to acquire 98% of the Hawaiian island of Lanai from the Castle & Cooke company. The other 2% is owned by the state of Hawaii. With the purchase, Larry also acquired Lanai's Four Seasons hotel. He has reportedly spent $500 million of his own money on infrastructure improvements, including roads, a water treatment facility, and state of the art movie theater.

Other Toys

A lifelong tennis enthusiast, Ellison owns the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Coachella, California, and the Indian Wells Masters Tournament, which he purchased for $100 million. Reportedly, he has since invested another $100 million into the club. He is an avid sailor. His Oracle Team USA team won the 2010 and 2013 America's Cups. For many years, Larry owned the 12th largest yacht in the world, Rising Sun. Larry spent $200 million building Rising Sun. He sold the yacht to music mogul David Geffen in 2010.

Planes

For many years, Larry traveled the globe on a Gulfstream V. At some point, he upgraded to a $75 million Gulfstream G650. In 2013, he bought an airline called Island Air to help bring guests to Lanai. He also owns two military fighter jets, a decommissioned Soviet MiG-29, and an SIAI-Marchetti S.211. He is not allowed to fly the MiG-29 in the United States because the US government considers the plane a weapon of war.

All net worths are calculated using data drawn from public sources. When provided, we also incorporate private tips and feedback received from the celebrities or their representatives. While we work diligently to ensure that our numbers are as accurate as possible, unless otherwise indicated they are only estimates. We welcome all corrections and feedback using the button below.
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