Billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison owns a private jet worth $38 million and previously owned a mega yacht worth $490 million.
Tech mogul Larry Ellison once waged a relentless two-year legal battle against the city of San Jose just to secure a midnight landing spot for his private plane. The billionaire was willing to fight a long court battle so that he could continue to receive his $38 million Gulfstream V After curfew at the local airport. With the support of a full legal team, the case eventually reached US federal court.But his method of buying a luxury yacht called ‘‘sunshine’ It was very different. The Oracle co-founder commissioned the $490 million, 454-foot megayacht with famed British designer John Bannenberg over a latte and a couple of emails, without the involvement of a single lawyer.The contrast shows the unpredictable nature of the world’s fifth-richest man, a perfectionist who recently saw his personal fortune fluctuate by more than $47 billion in less than a week.
A floating palace sealed with two letters
The way sunrise Coming together was unusual for a project of this size. Most billionaires rely on lawyers, advisors, and months of negotiations when operating a luxury yacht. Ellison didn’t do that. After rejecting designs from several companies, the Oracle founder met British designer John Bannenberg in London. A conversation over coffee, a physical model and a couple of emails were enough to finalize the deal for the 7,841 gross ton yacht, which was delivered in 2004.
Bannenberg created the first designs in an office that was still completely devoid of computer-aided design (CAD) software. Although the legendary designer died before the yacht was completed, his vision remained at the heart of the project.
Luxury yacht Rising Sun
Many of Bannenberg’s signature design ideas are featured sunrise. One was a suspended, tube-like walkway through the main engine room, giving guests a closer look at the machinery that powered the yacht at 30 knots (55.6 km/h).
Another was an exposed Z-shaped structure separating the bid launch areas. It was originally intended to be left in raw aluminum, but after Bannenberg’s death, the plan was changed and it was given a metallic paint instead.As work continued on the yacht, Ellison decided to make it larger. sunrise It was extended to 454 feet, making it 47 feet longer than Paul Allen’s octopus. The additional space allowed for features such as a double-height cinema, wine cellar, helipad, swimming pool and basketball court.
The yacht could accommodate 18 guests and required a crew of 45, while Ellison had an entire deck dedicated to his own use.
Retreat to minimalism?
Despite the greatness sunriseits sheer size eventually led the Oracle billionaire to reconsider his approach to luxury. Having once spent nearly $100 million in pursuit of the America’s Cup, Ellison chose to focus toward simplicity.By 2010, after five years of ownership, he sold his remaining share of the ship to media mogul David Geffen, who had previously been co-owner. Ellison sometimes regretted parting ways with his former 244-foot yacht, Katana, a vessel that his close friend Steve Jobs considered “absolutely perfect.” After sale sunriseEllison downsized significantly, purchasing a 288-footer Musashi For 130 million dollars.
The 288-foot Musashi is worth $130 million
How did one of the world’s richest men lose up to $47 billion?
Ellison’s changing approach to luxury spending comes at a time when his personal wealth has also taken a hit. According to Forbes’ Real Time Billionaires List, his net worth fell from about $296 billion on June 2 to about $249.7 billion less than a week later.The $47.3 billion decline came as investors withdrew from technology and artificial intelligence stocks. Because Ellison owns about 41 percent of Oracle, a 4 percent drop in the company’s shares on June 9 wiped out about $10.4 billion of his wealth in one day.
This decline pushed him from second to fifth place on the list of the world’s richest people, behind Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin, and Larry Page.The decline came after a significant rise in Ellison’s wealth over the past year, driven by investor excitement over Oracle’s cloud business and artificial intelligence plans. This increase briefly pushed his wealth above $400 billion, making him only the second person after Elon Musk to reach that level. Oracle shares are now about 41 percent below their peak since September 2025.The company is scheduled to report its quarterly earnings, with analysts expecting earnings of $1.96 per share on revenue of $19.1 billion. Wall Street observers are tracking Oracle’s backlog of orders, which are expected to rise to $661 billion from the $553 billion recorded in March. This accumulated figure now exceeds the annual economic output of many small countries, as well as the total market value of Oracle itself.