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Because his mother was still a teenager, Lawrence was adopted by relatives of Russian descent. He was raised in Chicago by Lillian and Louis Ellison. After finishing high school, Ellison enrolled at the University of Illinois, where he excelled in science. Following the death of his adoptive mother, a loss he struggled to overcome, Ellison left college. He moved to California, where he rekindled his computer skills developed during high school. In San Francisco, he began creating a computer system for a bank.
Subsequent jobs as a programmer in Silicon Valley followed. In 1967, Ellison joined Amdahl Inc. in California, working there until 1971. He then served as President of Omex Corporation’s Systems Division until 1977. During this time, he developed, among other projects, a complex database system for the CIA under the codename "Oracle." He named his own company after this project, founding Oracle Corporation in California in 1977 with Bob Miner. Ellison initially served as Oracle's President and became CEO in 1978. Oracle developed database systems for the CIA and the U.S. Air Force.
The company specialized in creating infrastructure and application systems for business clients. Over the next years, Ellison expanded Oracle’s sales dramatically, making it the world’s second-largest software producer. The company became the market leader in database software. Targeting business customers, Ellison faced early competition from SAP, a German software firm. While SAP focused on country-specific business applications, the California-based Oracle aimed to provide global software solutions and dominate internet applications.
Competition with Microsoft, led by Bill Gates, motivated Ellison to broaden Oracle’s product lineup strategically. Since the mid-1990s, he has been involved in developing a new computer system: the Network Computer (NC), designed to simplify application software use compared to PCs. In 1996, Ellison founded Knowledge Universe, producing educational software for children and families. However, the first NC device released in 1997 failed to deliver the business success Oracle sought. That same year, Ellison’s planned acquisition of the struggling Apple company fell through after his close friend Steve Jobs was appointed to lead Apple’s turnaround.
Nonetheless, in 1997, Oracle partnered with Microsoft in restructuring Apple Computer Inc., with Ellison joining Apple’s board. Influenced by him, Apple began developing an NC model in 1998. Alongside his work in technology, Larry Ellison pursued sailing, having competed in several races. He also pilots his own Italian-made fighter jet. The avid sailor and pilot founded the Oracle Racing team in May 2000. On July 8, 2002, Oracle announced a partnership with BMW, with the team competing as Oracle-BMW Racing Team. By 2002, Oracle was among the largest software companies globally, boasting $9.7 billion in sales and 42,000 employees.
In 2003, Ellison launched a high-profile takeover bid for competitor PeopleSoft, aiming to acquire it for $5.1 billion. The financially powerful entrepreneur bet on industry consolidation favoring major firms like Oracle. Ellison’s economic success became widely known: for a sum in the hundreds of millions, he built a private estate in California modeled after a 16th-century Japanese village.
By 2004, Ellison ranked 12th among the world’s wealthiest individuals, with a fortune of $18.7 billion. In 2008, Forbes ranked him 14th richest globally, with a net worth of $25 billion.
