By Arinze Uzo
Business News Correspondent
Oracle co-founder and tech titan Larry Ellison has officially surpassed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to become the world’s second-richest person, according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The shift marks a significant shake-up in the global wealth rankings, fueled by Oracle’s surging stock performance and strong investor confidence in its expanding role in artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
Ellison, 79, now trails only Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, reclaiming a top spot in the billionaire hierarchy with an estimated net worth exceeding $180 billion. His rise comes as Oracle shares hit record highs, boosted by major deals, strong earnings, and the company’s aggressive push into the AI and cloud services space — sectors that are rapidly defining the future of tech.
Meanwhile, Zuckerberg’s wealth — tied primarily to his holdings in Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp — experienced a dip following a recent slowdown in Meta’s stock performance. Although still immensely wealthy, with a net worth of approximately $177 billion, Zuckerberg has ceded his No. 2 spot for the time being.
Ellison, who co-founded Oracle in 1977 and served as its CEO until 2014, remains the company’s largest shareholder and executive chairman. Known for his lavish lifestyle, bold business moves, and early bets on emerging technologies, Ellison has consistently ranked among the world’s wealthiest individuals for decades. His fortune has surged in recent years alongside Oracle’s strategic transformation and broader market momentum toward enterprise cloud solutions.
The development is part of a broader reshuffling among tech billionaires as market volatility, AI advancements, and investor sentiment continue to drive massive shifts in wealth. Analysts say Ellison’s ascent is a testament to Oracle’s successful repositioning in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.
With AI and cloud computing projected to dominate global tech investment for the foreseeable future, Ellison’s position near the top of the world’s richest list may prove to be more than just a temporary leap — it may be a signal of Oracle’s rising dominance in the next wave of technology innovation.
