JNS: In a dramatic twist in the billionaire rankings, Larry Ellison, co-founder and CTO of Oracle Corporation, briefly claimed the title of the world’s richest person, surpassing Elon Musk on September 10, 2025.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Ellison’s net worth skyrocketed to $393 billion, outpacing Musk’s $385 billion, after Oracle’s stock surged over 40%.
The remarkable jump came after Oracle reported securing multibillion-dollar cloud contracts, including a landmark $300 billion deal with OpenAI, alongside other major cloud infrastructure agreements. Oracle’s Remaining Performance Obligations (RPO)—a critical indicator of future revenue—leaped by an astonishing 359%, now standing at $455 billion, with projections to exceed $500 billion in the near future.
Oracle chief Ellison tops Musk as the World’s richest man after $101 billion gain https://t.co/30y4ZJD3N8 💰📈🌍 #LarryEllison #ElonMusk #WorldRichest #Billionaires #Wealth #GlobalBusiness pic.twitter.com/FXG77nxyRM
— Economic Times (@EconomicTimes) September 10, 2025
Oracle’s bullish forecast and strategic positioning in the booming AI and cloud market fueled investor confidence, sending its shares soaring. Ellison’s massive stake in Oracle, combined with additional investments in Tesla, a private Hawaiian island, and sports enterprises, solidified his brief ascent to the top spot.
However, the race for the richest individual remains highly volatile. By market close, Musk reclaimed the lead as Oracle’s stock gains moderated, with his net worth estimated at $384 billion by Bloomberg and $439 billion by Forbes, thanks to differing valuations of private assets like SpaceX.
This high-stakes shuffle reflects the fast-changing dynamics of tech wealth, where fortunes can shift by billions in a single trading session, driven by major contracts, market sentiment, and technological breakthroughs.
