Larry Ellison and his wife Jolin Zhu: the incredible rise of an orphan who became the richest man in the world

In September 2025, the world witnesses a upheaval at the top of the global financial hierarchy. Larry Ellison, the 81-year-old man once believed destined to remain an eternal technical CEO, officially becomes the richest person on the planet. According to Bloomberg’s billionaire index, his fortune surpasses $393 billion, overtaking Elon Musk, who is left with $385 billion. But beyond the numbers, it’s the extraordinary story of this orphan abandoned that deserves to be told, especially with the recent appearance of his fifth wife, Jolin Zhu, a Chinese woman 47 years his junior.

From Orphanage to Silicon Valley: Larry Ellison’s Unlikely Journey

Born in 1944 in the Bronx, New York, Larry Ellison’s story didn’t start with a silver spoon in his mouth but completely penniless. His mother, a 19-year-old single woman, couldn’t keep him. As a newborn, he was entrusted to his aunt in Chicago. His adoptive father worked as a civil servant in a modest household, far from the luxury that now characterizes the life of the future magnate.

Higher education? Ellison barely tested it. Admitted to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he dropped out after two years following his adoptive mother’s death. A stint at the University of Chicago also ended prematurely after one semester. It was decided: formal schooling didn’t speak to him. He then traveled across the United States in search of something undefined, taking on small programming jobs here and there.

What truly changed his destiny was his arrival in Berkeley, California, in the early 1970s. This region, birthplace of counterculture and emerging tech hub, appeared as a liberation for him. “People there seemed freer and smarter,” he would write later. It was there that he joined Ampex Corporation, a company specializing in audio-video storage, working as a programmer. It was precisely at Ampex that a decisive project emerged: designing a sophisticated database system capable of managing and consulting information for the CIA, called “Oracle.”

Oracle: When an Orphan Turns a Vision into a Tech Empire

In 1977, at age 32, Larry Ellison saw an opportunity that changed everything. He co-invested $2,000 alongside two former colleagues, Bob Miner and Ed Oates (Ellison himself investing $1,200), to create Software Development Laboratories (SDL). The first major decision: leverage their experience with relational databases by developing a universal commercial system simply called “Oracle.”

Strictly speaking, Ellison didn’t invent database technology. What he did was understand its commercial value before almost anyone else and dare to bet his entire fortune on this emerging market. A genius intuition that quickly proved itself. By 1986, Oracle made a triumphant debut on NASDAQ. The company became a superstar in enterprise software.

Ellison’s personality is marked by relentless tenacity and uncompromising competitiveness. He held nearly all key positions in the company: president from 1978 to 1996, then chairman of the board from 1990 to 1992. In 1992, a surfing accident brought him face-to-face with mortality, but this near-death experience hardly dissuaded him. He returned to the charge in 1995 and continued to lead for another ten years. It wasn’t until 2014 that he agreed to delegate his CEO role, though he retained the titles of executive chairman and CTO.

September 2025: Larry Ellison Crowned as the World’s Richest Man

For over four decades, Oracle has oscillated between peaks of glory and troubling lows. The database giant struggled to respond to the rise of cloud computing, ceding ground to Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure. Yet, Oracle’s central position in the enterprise software ecosystem remained unchallenged, and Ellison remained the soul of this machine.

Summer 2025 saw Oracle announce a major wave of layoffs, affecting several thousand jobs, especially in hardware sales and traditional software divisions. Simultaneously, the company intensified investments in data centers and generative AI infrastructure. This strategic move proved prophetic.

In September 2025, Oracle revealed it had signed four major contracts, including a colossal $300 billion five-year partnership with OpenAI. The announcement triggered a market frenzy: the stock price surged over 40% in a single session, the biggest daily gain since 1992. Once seen as a “legacy software provider,” Oracle underwent a spectacular transformation into a “dark horse of AI infrastructure.” The market’s insatiable appetite for these infrastructures was evident, and Oracle held exactly the entry ticket everyone coveted.

A New Wife for a New Act: Larry Ellison, Jolin Zhu, and Eternal Youth

Larry Ellison’s married life is as colorful as his career. Five marriages, countless rumors, and an enduring love for new brides. In 2024, he discreetly married Jolin Zhu, a Chinese woman born in Shenyang, a University of Michigan graduate. Their age difference? 47 years. Yes, you read that right.

This new wife once again fuels interest in Ellison’s private life. Some observers joke that Ellison loves surfing waves as much as he loves romantic relationships. But beyond the anecdote, this union reflects his philosophy: stay as young as possible, adopt the habits of those he admires, push the boundaries of convention.

How does an 81-year-old man possess the look and vitality many envy at fifty? The answer lies in monastic discipline. Between 1990 and 2000, Ellison dedicated several hours daily to exercise. His diet was strict: only water and green tea, not a drop of sugary drinks. Colleagues described him as “twenty years younger than his peers.” At 81, he remains a fervent adherent to this lifestyle.

Passions, Politics, and Power: The World According to Larry Ellison

Larry Ellison owns 98% of the land on Lanai Island in Hawaii, several luxury homes in California, and world-class yachts. But wealth is never the goal; what obsess him is the feeling of power, mastery over elements. Water and wind call to him irresistibly.

His commitment to sailing transcends mere leisure. In 2013, his team Oracle Team USA made a spectacular comeback during the America’s Cup, winning the trophy against all odds. It was one of the greatest revolutions in the history of sailing competitions. In 2018, he founded SailGP, a high-speed catamaran racing series that now attracts prestigious investors: actress Anne Hathaway, football star Kylian Mbappé, and others.

Tennis is another pillar of his personal universe. He revitalized the Indian Wells tournament in California, calling it the “fifth Grand Slam.” His sports investments are never gratuitous; they reflect his life philosophy: stay competitive, stay young, stay at the heart of action.

On the political stage, Ellison has long supported the Republican Party. In 2015, he funded Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign. In 2022, he donated $15 million to Senator Tim Scott’s super PAC. In January 2025, he appeared at the White House alongside SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to announce a $500 billion AI data center network project. Oracle’s technology is at its core. It’s not just a business deal; it’s an extension of Ellison’s power in the world.

Philanthropy and Legacy: Larry Ellison’s Personal Vision

In 2010, Larry Ellison signed the “Giving Pledge,” committing to give away at least 95% of his wealth to philanthropic causes. However, unlike Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, he rarely participates in collective initiatives. “I cherish my solitude and don’t want to be influenced by outside ideas,” he told the New York Times.

His approach to giving remains deeply personal. In 2016, he invested $200 million in the University of Southern California to establish an oncology research center. More recently, he announced transferring substantial resources to the Ellison Institute of Technology, founded in partnership with Oxford University. This institution focuses on solving major challenges: medicine, agriculture, climate change.

On social media, he writes: “We must design a new generation of life-saving drugs for humanity, build sustainable and affordable agricultural systems, develop clean and efficient energy.” It’s not just rhetoric; it’s the vision of a man who, after conquering ultimate wealth, chooses to redefine the legacy he wishes to leave.

Conclusion: The Orphan Who Became King

At 81, Larry Ellison finally reaches the summit. Starting from nothing, abandoned at nine months by his biological mother, he transformed a simple vision into an empire. Oracle began with a secret contract with the CIA and blossomed into a global enterprise software giant. As artificial intelligence redefines the technological world, Ellison and his teams pivot strategically, placing Oracle at the heart of the AI infrastructure revolution.

Wealth, power, successive marriages, sporting conquests, philanthropy in his own way: Ellison’s life has never lacked drama. He remains the “stubborn prodigal son” of Silicon Valley, a fighter, never ready to give in. His five marriages, including his recent union with Jolin Zhu, testify to a challenged youth.

The throne of the world’s richest billionaire may soon shift elsewhere, but at this moment, Larry Ellison has shown the world that the legend of the old-generation tech giants is far from over. In an era where AI redraws the contours of technological reality, visionary pioneers like Ellison retain all their transformative power.