How Trump Could Propel Larry Ellison to Media Mogul Status

Larry Ellison: The Playful Silicon Valley Tycoon with Expanding Ambitions

For decades, Larry Ellison has been a larger-than-life figure in Silicon Valley, known not just for his significant wealth but also for his extravagant lifestyle and penchant for the spotlight. With a staggering fortune of $175 billion, Ellison’s spending habits have turned heads; he invested $200 million in a Japanese-inspired villa near Palo Alto, acquired the sixth-largest Hawaiian island, and has had a series of high-profile relationships, including multiple marriages and divorces.

Despite his flamboyant reputation, the workings of Oracle, the database company he co-founded, have often taken a backseat to his personal adventures. In a notable instance from 2013, Ellison missed his keynote address at Oracle’s annual convention due to being out on his yacht, focused on winning the America’s Cup—a goal he accomplished. His self-referential biography even boasts the title, “The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison: God Doesn’t Think He’s Larry Ellison.”

As he reaches the age of 80, Ellison’s ambitions appear to be shifting from pure enjoyment to a more structured expansion of his corporate interests. Following the example set by fellow billionaire Elon Musk, who runs several intersecting companies, Ellison seems poised to grow his own corporate empire beyond Oracle.

One of the latest developments surrounding Ellison and Oracle is the company’s potential involvement in acquiring TikTok, the immensely popular video-sharing app facing pressure from the U.S. government due to its Chinese ownership via ByteDance. Oracle has emerged as a contender to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations, with President Trump reportedly slated to discuss the ownership structure for the app with top officials. The deadline for making a deal is quickly approaching, and Oracle had previously sought to become a minority owner of TikTok in 2020. Despite negotiations that would have allowed Oracle to store U.S. user data on its cloud and own a stake in a revamped TikTok entity named TikTok Global, that deal ultimately fell through.

Meanwhile, Ellison’s ambitions might not solely be reflected in corporate acquisitions. He has been vocally supportive of utilizing artificial intelligence to reshape society, believing it can usher in an era of abundance and connectivity. Ellison has even proposed a surveillance society where every citizen’s behavior is monitored by AI-driven cameras. Such radical ideas echo Musk’s approach, blurring lines between private enterprise and public influence.

Currently, Ellison is facilitating his son, David Ellison’s, $8 billion bid to acquire Paramount, which owns CBS, MTV, and a host of well-known media properties. This move aligns with Ellison’s interest in controlling content and data, especially as TikTok boasts a monthly active user base of about 1.5 billion people, further emphasizing the potential benefits of combining his technology and media ambitions.

Significantly, Ellison’s proximity to political figures like Trump adds another layer of influence to his endeavors. In a recent announcement about an AI infrastructure project called Stargate, Ellison was prominently featured at the White House. Trump’s alleged interest in Ellison acquiring TikTok indicates a favorable political climate for such corporate maneuvers.

Yet, while a singular company like Oracle might not fulfill all of his strategic ambitions, a network of them could. The interconnectedness of data and media positions Ellison to wield substantial influence over both realms. A media analyst suggested, "All these pieces are coming together to form something that isn’t quite clear yet except for this: The Ellison family will be at the center."

In conversations about societal benefits, Ellison has remarked, “The only way I know to make myself feel better is to make the world better”; he attributes a degree of egoism to this belief, calling it “enlightened egotism.” However, his vision of "betterment" increasingly veers towards a society heavily reliant on monitoring technologies and AI.

Ellison has faced skepticism regarding Oracle’s practices in the past, including a settlement over serious allegations of improperly capturing and selling user data. Oracle agreed to pay $115 million without admitting wrongdoing, highlighting the controversies that sometimes accompany Ellison’s entrepreneurial undertakings.

Over the decades, Ellison’s personal life has been as tumultuous as his business ventures, boasting three marriages and numerous relationships. Reflecting on his marital history, he quipped about his ability to "do it better" with each subsequent relationship, showcasing his characteristic blend of confidence and charisma.

Initially, Ellison’s politics leaned towards the mainstream, but he has since aligned himself more closely with conservative figures, including Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, particularly in response to perceived shifts in liberal policies.

While Ellison may not occupy Trump’s innermost circle, his connections have undeniably grown over recent years. His attendance at transition meetings and increasing involvement in fundraising endeavors for the Trump campaign suggests he is willingly entwining his business aspirations with political affiliations.

Even if his plans for companies like TikTok remain uncertain, Ellison’s passion for technology and data is unwavering. He recognizes the power of data in shaping not only business landscapes but also societal structures. As Ellison continues to navigate this complex web of technology, media, and politics, all eyes will be on him as he potentially orchestrates the next chapter in an already remarkable career.