Oracle’s Ellison Rivals Musk as World’s Richest Person. See How Their Wealth Compares

A comparison of the corporate holdings, properties and pursuits of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, and Elon Musk, who holds the title of world’s richest person

An AI-fueled stock surge has boosted Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison’s fortune by $200 billion this year, including a $100 billion bump on Wednesday. That brings him in range of Elon Musk, who holds the title as the world’s richest person.

Billionaire Larry Ellison in 2018.

Earlier this year, Musk’s net worth was about $420 billion while Ellison’s was about $230 billion, according to wealth intelligence firm Altrata. Shares of Oracle have doubled this year, while Tesla shares are down about 14%, erasing about $40 billion in value from Musk’s fortune.

Both men have considerable wealth beyond those tech companies. See how they stack up.

Wealth

54-year-old Musk’s fortune largely comes from his stake in several companies he started or now runs, including Tesla, SpaceX and xAI. His Tesla stake, around 20% of the company, is currently worth about $250 billion, and the board recently proposed a new contract that could give him more shares worth $1 trillion if ambitious goals are hit. He also owns around 40% of SpaceX, a stake valued at around $80 billion in private markets.

Elon Musk with Donald Trump and lawmakers before a SpaceX launch in 2024.

81-year-old Ellison co-founded Oracle in 1977 as a database software maker and once competed with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates for the title of richest person. Unlike Gates, who has pledged much of his Microsoft stake to his foundation, Ellison still owns more than 40% of Oracle worth almost $400 billion Wednesday morning, based on share counts from Verity Platform. Oracle’s market value surged Wednesday morning after the company projected big gains from AI and cloud computing customers.

Larry Ellison holds the America’s Cup trophy in 2013 after Oracle Team USA’s victory.

Properties

Musk, who is known to crash at friends’ places in California and Texas, spends part of his time in a modern villa near Tesla’s factory in Austin, Texas, and rents a small house from SpaceX in Starbase, Texas. After vowing in 2020 “to own no house,” he sold half a dozen properties in the Los Angeles area for about $130 million, including a 16,000-square-foot mansion and a smaller home once owned by the actor Gene Wilder.

Locals say Elon Musk has stayed in this Texas home in Boca Chica, near SpaceX’s facility.Musk also stays at a villa near Tesla’s factory in Austin, Texas.

Ellison is known as one of the most voracious collectors of trophy properties, including a Gilded Age mansion in Newport, R.I., formerly owned by the Astor family; a historic garden property in Kyoto, Japan, and an estate in Rancho Mirage, Calif., with a private 19-hole golf course. He also owns nearly all of the Hawaiian island of Lanai.

Larry Ellison purchased the Beechwood mansion in Newport, R.I.Ellison’s Rancho Mirage, Calif., property has a 19-hole golf course.Ellison purchased most of the Hawaiian island of Lanai in 2012.

Pursuits

Musk has donated more than $250 million to political causes, including to help Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. While juggling his businesses, Musk served as a special adviser to the president earlier this year, until a public feud. He has also poured his fortune into his quest to colonize Mars and launch SpaceX rockets.

Musk hosted an event at the SpaceX Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, in 2022.

Ellison is spending billions to build his Ellison Institute of Technology near Oxford, England. The for-profit venture aims to tackle issues ranging from food security and healthcare to artificial intelligence and robotics. He remains chairman of Oracle, where he was CEO until 2014, and remains its chief technology officer. He owns the superyacht Musashi and races sailboats and flies planes.

Oracle Team USA racing in the America’s Cup in 2017 in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Write to Theo Francis at theo.francis@wsj.com

Oracle’s Ellison Rivals Musk as World’s Richest Person. See How Their Wealth Compares

Oracle’s Ellison Rivals Musk as World’s Richest Person. See How Their Wealth Compares

Oracle’s Ellison Rivals Musk as World’s Richest Person. See How Their Wealth Compares

Oracle’s Ellison Rivals Musk as World’s Richest Person. See How Their Wealth Compares

Oracle’s Ellison Rivals Musk as World’s Richest Person. See How Their Wealth Compares

Oracle’s Ellison Rivals Musk as World’s Richest Person. See How Their Wealth Compares

Oracle’s Ellison Rivals Musk as World’s Richest Person. See How Their Wealth Compares

Oracle’s Ellison Rivals Musk as World’s Richest Person. See How Their Wealth Compares

Oracle’s Ellison Rivals Musk as World’s Richest Person. See How Their Wealth Compares