The increase in Oracle’s stock price has made Larry Ellison the third richest man in the world
Oracle’s stock reached an intraday high on Monday, continuing an intense surge in late May that turned the database pioneer into a significant force in AI technology. Increased the wealth of co-founder Larry Ellison, who controls about 40% of the business.
After rising almost 11% on Friday, Oracle shares reached a peak of $244 on Monday, capping the software company’s best month since 2001.
The business has evolved from a well-established software supplier to a significant participant in the AI boom. Renting processing power to well-known AI developers like OpenAI.
Due to Oracle’s locked-in client contracts and its growing role in propelling growth for OpenAI, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Meta, Wedbush, Arete, and Oppenheimer have raised their price estimates in recent days as Wall Street has rallied around the stock.
The increase coincides with a wider sector boom, with the iShares Software ETF rising almost 21% in May—its largest gain in 25 years. As concerns that AI technologies would obliterate conventional software business models abated. With his fortune surpassing an astounding $400 billion. Ellison’s one-day wealth gain during Oracle’s September 2025 boom was the highest single-day increase in personal net worth ever documented.
Skeptics warn that the rally is built on a mountain of spending. Oracle is burning through cash and has accumulated over $124 billion in long-term debt. And much of the bullish case hinges on the company actually delivering the AI data centers it has promised, as well as on customers like OpenAI growing fast enough to pay for them.
