Larry Ellison Surges Past Zuckerberg and Bezos to Become World’s Second-Richest Person

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison has soared to the second spot on the Forbes Real-Time Billionaire Index, surpassing tech giants Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos. As of mid-June 2025, Ellison’s net worth has reached a staggering $258.8 billion, largely fueled by the stellar performance of Oracle’s stock following strong quarterly earnings. This marks a significant rise from April, when Ellison was ranked fourth with a net worth of $192 billion on Forbes’ annual billionaire list. In just two months, his wealth has ballooned by approximately $66.8 billion.

The surge comes after Oracle reported better-than-expected financial results for the fourth quarter, posting an earnings-per-share of $1.70 on revenues of $15.9 billion. Investor optimism soared, especially given Oracle’s ongoing efforts in artificial intelligence infrastructure and cloud services, which are increasingly seen as the company’s growth engine. The positive earnings report pushed Oracle shares to a record high of nearly $200, significantly boosting Ellison’s fortune as a major stakeholder.

This rapid climb has shaken up the global billionaire rankings. While Elon Musk remains securely in the top spot with a net worth of over $410 billion, Ellison now edges out Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg (estimated ~$236 billion) and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (estimated ~$226 billion) on the Forbes index. Notably, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index still places Ellison third, estimating his wealth at $234 billion—just behind Musk and Zuckerberg—highlighting slight methodological differences between the two rankings.

Ellison’s rise to the #2 position is not just a personal milestone but also a reflection of Oracle’s transformation under his leadership into a major player in AI and cloud computing. It underscores how strategic investment in emerging tech can reshape not only company fortunes but personal wealth rankings on the global stage.