As Larry Ellison entered his nineties in 2024, it seemed his famously flamboyant lifestyle might be winding down. Expectations were that his focus would shift from thrilling yacht races and mock aerial dogfights over the Pacific to more conventional philanthropic endeavors, as is often the case for aging software titans.
However, in a surprising turn of events, even for someone of his immense wealth, Ellison has embarked on a new venture: transforming into a media magnate. His potential influence and portfolio could soon rival or even surpass legendary figures like Hearst and Pulitzer.
Oracle, the tech giant Ellison co-founded and has led for almost fifty years, is investing in the new American version of TikTok, the immensely popular short-video app boasting 170 million U.S. users. Ellison, who remains Oracle’s chief technology officer and holds over 40% of its stock, is at the heart of this new media play.
While specifics about the new TikTok’s ownership structure and leadership remain vague, one thing seems clear: it will be steered by individuals aligned with President Trump. The President himself suggested in a recent Fox News interview that the Murdoch family, who own Fox News, would ‘probably’ also be investors.
This move comes after Congress mandated that ByteDance, a Chinese company, divest TikTok due to national security concerns, though President Trump had previously delayed the enforcement of this law.
TikTok, with its massive appeal among younger demographics, represents a significant acquisition. Oracle currently provides cloud services for U.S. TikTok user data, but this new investment offers a direct entry into the consumer-facing operations of the app. Historically, Oracle’s most notable attempt at a consumer product, the network computer in the 1990s, did not succeed.
TikTok is merely one component of the Ellison family’s rapidly growing media interests. Larry’s son, David, recently finalized an $8 billion acquisition of Paramount and CBS, and is reportedly preparing an even larger bid for Warner, a conglomerate that includes CNN.
Larry Ellison’s son, David, played a pivotal role in an $8 billion agreement for Paramount and CBS, signaling the family’s expanding media ambitions.
In a different political climate, the regulatory challenges of acquiring such a diverse media portfolio, including TikTok, CBS, CNN, and a substantial portion of Hollywood, would have been prohibitive. However, in the current environment, favored status with President Trump holds significant weight. Notably, the President had previously expressed his desire for either Elon Musk, a former close adviser, or Ellison to purchase TikTok.
Throughout the last century, influential American media has often been controlled by powerful families, but their influence was typically confined by geographic or other limiting factors. For instance, the Chandler family’s dominance with The Los Angeles Times primarily extended across Southern California, while Rupert Murdoch’s Fox and The Wall Street Journal maintain distinct editorial directions.
Yet, in this digital age, these traditional limitations are rapidly disappearing.
As Michael Socolow, a media historian at the University of Maine, observed, ‘Everything is consolidating.’ He emphasized that these particular deals stand out due to their multi-platform nature. ‘The ability to set a cohesive editorial direction across TikTok, CBS News, and CNN represents an entirely new landscape,’ Socolow stated.
Paramount declined to provide a statement.
Previously, the regulatory obstacles to controlling TikTok, CBS, CNN, and a significant portion of Hollywood would have been impossible to overcome.
For Ellison, financial constraints, typically a major hurdle for building media empires, are nonexistent. He recently experienced a $100 billion surge in his Oracle holdings, briefly making him the world’s wealthiest individual. His current net worth stands at an astounding $367 billion, as reported by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, though Elon Musk currently holds a higher position.
At 81 years old, Ellison has been a foundational figure in Silicon Valley for longer than most. In 1977, he co-founded Software Development Laboratories, which later became Oracle, named after its flagship database product.
While not primarily a technical genius, Ellison excelled as the company’s leading salesman. Despite several near-collapse moments, Oracle not only endured but thrived, a stark contrast to many of its contemporaries from the early software industry.
Ellison embodied the ‘work hard, play hard’ archetype of a tech entrepreneur. He has been married multiple times and possesses an extensive real estate portfolio, famously including the Hawaiian island of Lanai. His personal assets also feature an SIAI-Marchetti S.211 fighter jet, acquired from the Italian Navy, which he reportedly used for simulated dogfights with his son.
In a 2012 interview, Ellison humorously recounted, ‘Frequently, I’ll be in a meeting with someone and the person says, ‘Oh my god, you’re nothing like what I thought you’d be.’’ He quipped, ‘Of course, it’s a low bar. I didn’t just bite the head off a small animal before the meeting.’
Ellison’s past engagement with media was primarily limited to using interviews in the 1990s to publicly critique Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Now, his son is reportedly in talks to acquire The Free Press, a digital publication known for its contrarian stance against mainstream news. This outlet is led by Bari Weiss, a former New York Times opinion editor, who is expected to gain some supervisory role at CBS.
Ellison, who did not respond to requests for comment, continues to amass wealth at a rate that outpaces his plans for philanthropy. Lately, his attention has been absorbed by the Ellison Institute of Technology, a massive for-profit philanthropic venture at the University of Oxford, where he claimed he would focus his resources. However, this research institute has recently faced familiar challenges, echoing past upheavals in Ellison’s charitable endeavors.
The Ellison Institute of Technology, a substantial for-profit philanthropic initiative at the University of Oxford, has recently been a primary focus for Mr. Ellison.
The billionaire has a consistent track record of altering his philanthropic strategies or parting ways with those appointed to manage his charitable projects. Just this month, Ellison separated from John Bell, a renowned scientist brought on last year to establish E.I.T. and lend it immediate credibility.
The institute aimed to commercialize Britain’s less commercially-driven scientific culture by fostering various life science and other tech startups.
John Bell, the former head of E.I.T., remarked about Ellison, ‘We don’t have anybody like him in the U.K.’ He added, ‘To have him come here and say, ‘I’m going to build my legacy here in the U.K.,’ is an amazing step, actually. And he could have gone anywhere.’”
In mid-August, Ellison appointed Santa Ono, former president of the University of Michigan, to a seemingly superior role over Bell. Ellison publicly stated that Bell would ‘collaborate’ with Ono. However, within two weeks, Bell resigned, describing the institute as a ‘very challenging project.’
Sources close to the institute indicate that Ellison has been deeply involved, frequently communicating with Bell and attending meetings at its Oxford offices. The institute’s leadership has reportedly faced internal friction over the best methods to commercialize Ellison’s scientific research and ongoing concerns about his long-term financial commitment.