Billionaire Surpasses Zuckerberg and Bezos to Become World’s Second Richest with $258,800,000,000 Fortune

In a remarkable financial leap that sent ripples through global markets, Oracle Corporation’s co-founder and chairman Larry Ellison has officially surpassed Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos to become the second richest person on Earth, boasting an astounding net worth of $258.8 billion. The monumental shift in billionaire rankings was confirmed by Forbes’ real-time tracker updated on June 15, 2025, and positions Ellison directly behind only Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX magnate whose wealth stands at a jaw-dropping $410.8 billion.

What makes this leap especially significant is the pace at which it occurred—Ellison added an eye-watering $66.8 billion to his fortune in just two months, a feat rarely seen even among tech titans.

Just a short while ago, in April 2025, Ellison was sitting comfortably at the fourth position in Forbes' annual billionaire list with a net worth of $192 billion. Fast forward to June, and a potent combination of Oracle’s aggressive positioning in the artificial intelligence race and a stellar earnings report propelled him past two of the world’s most recognized tech moguls—Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Oracle’s June 13 earnings report stunned analysts, delivering earnings of $1.70 per share on a revenue of $15.9 billion, sending its stock price soaring to $200 per share. This surge added tens of billions of dollars to Ellison’s net worth almost overnight and underscored the massive investor confidence in Oracle’s long-term AI roadmap.

The market’s response wasn’t just about numbers on a balance sheet—it was a vote of confidence in Ellison’s leadership and vision. Despite being 80 years old, Ellison continues to serve as Oracle’s Chairman and Chief Technology Officer, maintaining a hands-on role in shaping the company's future.

Founded in 1977, Oracle has evolved from a niche database firm into a global enterprise software powerhouse with a $300 billion market cap and counting. 

Over the decades, Ellison has orchestrated some of the largest acquisitions in tech history, including the 2021 purchase of Cerner, a health technology firm, for $28.3 billion—an investment now seen as prescient amid the current convergence of healthcare and AI.

But beyond smart acquisitions, it’s Ellison’s relentless focus on AI that has captivated investors. In recent years, Oracle has aligned itself closely with U.S. federal government initiatives under President Donald Trump’s administration, particularly Project Stargate—an ambitious national strategy to position the U.S. as the global leader in artificial intelligence.

Alongside major partners like OpenAI and SoftBank, Oracle has become one of the key players entrusted with developing and deploying AI systems across military, health, and public infrastructure.

Ellison has not been shy about the transformative—and controversial—potential of AI. In public remarks earlier this year, he stated that artificial intelligence would usher in a new era of behavioral optimization, where real-time surveillance could help improve public conduct and decision-making.

His ideas, often characterized as Orwellian by critics and visionary by supporters, reveal a broader ambition to entrench Oracle’s software solutions into the core fabric of modern governance. Whether one sees it as dystopia or progress, Ellison’s belief in AI as a tool for reshaping society is clear—and investors are paying attention.

This bold vision is undoubtedly part of what fueled the recent stock rally, and with it, Ellison’s wealth explosion. Meanwhile, Zuckerberg, 43, now finds himself in the third position with a still-massive fortune of $235.7 billion.

Meta’s Reality Labs division continues to burn billions in its quest to dominate the metaverse, but its core advertising business faces growing regulatory scrutiny both in the U.S. and abroad. In contrast, Ellison has steered Oracle through the AI transition with a focus on enterprise clients and government contracts, markets that offer high margins and long-term stability.

Jeff Bezos, 61, who once held the title of the world’s richest man, now slides into the fourth position with $226.8 billion. Although his personal fortune has continued to grow due to Amazon’s steady performance and his diversified portfolio—including ownership of Blue Origin and The Washington Post—Bezos has been in the headlines more for his personal life lately.

His upcoming wedding to Lauren Sanchez has attracted tabloid interest, but in the financial world, it is Ellison’s ascent that has monopolized attention.

Rounding out the top five is Warren Buffett, the 94-year-old investment sage of Omaha, with $152.1 billion. Though largely retired, Buffett's portfolio under Berkshire Hathaway continues to generate solid returns, and his enduring influence in the world of finance remains unquestioned.

However, Buffett’s era of passive, value-driven investment contrasts sharply with Ellison’s aggressive, tech-fueled climb.

What makes Ellison’s rise especially fascinating is how it reflects the shifting tides of technological dominance. While Musk represents the frontier of space and autonomous transport, Ellison’s rise highlights the growing power of backend infrastructure, data systems, and AI integration.

Oracle, often dismissed in the past as a legacy software giant, has quietly reinvented itself as an AI infrastructure firm that bridges traditional enterprise and future technologies. Ellison’s long-term bet on hybrid cloud solutions, AI-integrated databases, and national-scale software architecture is now paying dividends at historic scale.

Furthermore, this development has injected new energy into Silicon Valley’s billionaire power rankings, triggering speculation about who might rise—or fall—next. Will Zuckerberg’s bets on immersive tech rebound with Apple’s Vision Pro looming large? Can Bezos’ space ventures catch up with Musk’s Martian ambitions? For now, Ellison has proven that even at 80, there’s room to disrupt the disruptors.

Ellison’s personal story also adds a layer of intrigue. Born in the Bronx and raised by adoptive parents in Chicago, he dropped out of college twice before founding Oracle in 1977 with just $2,000.

His journey from a small apartment to private islands, superyachts, and now the upper echelons of the world’s richest is the kind of narrative that fuels Wall Street legend. Unlike Musk or Bezos, Ellison rarely courts media attention, but when he speaks, boardrooms and markets listen.

Despite his recent windfall, Ellison has not announced any major philanthropic endeavors to rival the Gates Foundation or Bezos Earth Fund, though he has historically supported medical research and education through limited channels.

With a net worth approaching $260 billion, observers now wonder whether Ellison will turn his growing financial clout toward broader global issues—or continue to double down on technological control and AI supremacy.

As of now, the global billionaire leaderboard reads like a who’s who of innovation, influence, and ambition. But with markets more volatile than ever and AI transforming industries at breakneck speed, today’s headlines may be tomorrow’s footnotes. One thing is certain: Larry Ellison is no longer just a historical figure in software—he is today’s headline, and perhaps tomorrow’s master architect of the digital world.