In a dramatic shake-up among the world’s wealthiest, Larry Ellison, co-founder and CEO of Oracle, briefly overtook Elon Musk as the richest person on the planet. On September 9, 2025, Ellison, 81, saw his net worth jump by over $101 billion in a single day, reaching $393 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, surpassing Musk’s $385 billion fortune.

The surge came after Oracle reported quarterly earnings that exceeded expectations, sending its stock soaring 40% in one trading session—a rare feat for a company with a market capitalization nearing $700 billion. Ellison, who owns roughly 40% of Oracle, directly benefited from this spike. Beyond his business ventures, he is a high-profile entrepreneur with holdings like 98% of Lana‘i Island in Hawaii, restoration of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, and connections to political figures including former U.S. President Donald Trump. Ellison was even once rumored to be a potential buyer for TikTok amid U.S. regulatory scrutiny.

However, Ellison’s reign was short-lived. By the morning of September 11, Bloomberg reported that Ellison had slipped to second place with a net worth of $383 billion, while Musk regained the lead at $384 billion. Forbes’ real-time billionaire tracker showed slightly different figures: Ellison at $387.6 billion and Musk leading with $436.1 billion. Despite the brief tenure, Ellison’s meteoric rise underscores how volatile the global billionaire rankings have become, heavily influenced by breakthroughs in technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI).

Elon Musk first became the world’s richest person in 2021, thanks to the meteoric rise of Tesla, including its ventures in robotics and autonomous vehicles, and the space technology firm SpaceX. Musk has lost and regained the title multiple times, briefly trailing behind Bernard Arnault of LVMH and Jeff Bezos of Amazon in previous years. His wealth primarily stems from his 13% stake in Tesla and his holdings in SpaceX, alongside various other ventures.

The Ellison-Musk episode highlights how competitive and dynamic the billionaire race has become, driven by rapid innovation in technology sectors. Oracle’s surge is closely linked to its leadership in AI infrastructure, signing multiple multi-billion-dollar cloud contracts, including a July 2025 deal with OpenAI, parent company of ChatGPT, to supply 4.5 gigawatts of power. Rising demand for AI data centers from clients like Microsoft, Google, and startups pushed Oracle’s backlog over $500 billion. Cloud revenue jumped 45% year-on-year, driving Oracle stock up 103% in 2025, placing it among the “trillion-dollar club” in market capitalization.

Looking ahead, tech billionaires’ fortunes are expected to be increasingly tied to AI advancements. Musk, for instance, could reclaim the top spot and potentially become the first individual to reach $1 trillion, thanks to Tesla’s ambitious compensation package approved in 2025. If Tesla reaches a market cap of $8.5 trillion over the next decade, Musk could gain an additional 12% stake, translating to a personal fortune of $1 trillion. Achieving this requires massive expansion in areas such as robotaxi services, Optimus robotics, and AI integration in autonomous driving.

Analysts predict that by 2030, AI-driven entrepreneurs could dominate global wealth rankings. Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, might surpass $500 billion, benefiting from GPU dominance in AI computing. Other AI pioneers, including Sam Altman (OpenAI) and Demis Hassabis (DeepMind), could also see their net worths soar into the hundreds of billions, as AI is projected to contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030.

Emerging tech billionaires from Asia, like Pony Ma (Tencent) and Colin Huang (Pinduoduo), are expected to challenge for top spots, potentially reaching $300–400 billion if AI adoption accelerates in the region. Overall, the top 10 tech billionaires could each hold $400–500 billion, roughly double today’s levels, driven by AI-powered economic growth of 7–10% annually.

AI is ushering in a new era for humanity. Beyond wealth creation, it optimizes production, healthcare, and education, while offering solutions to global challenges like climate change. By 2030, AI could enable single-person startups to generate billions by automating entire business processes. However, AI also poses risks: mass job displacement, growing inequality, and potential misuse in warfare or rogue systems. Musk has repeatedly warned that AI is “the biggest risk to civilization,” emphasizing the need for strong regulation to balance innovation with safety.

In conclusion, the brief transfer of wealth from Musk to Ellison is only the tip of the iceberg in the AI era, where technology not only creates enormous personal fortunes but also shapes the future of human society. The competition among tech leaders demonstrates how innovation, strategic vision, and AI integration will define both economic and social landscapes in the years to come.

https://www.youtube.com/watch/k5VSJI5gFBE