How Trump Could Make Larry Ellison the Next Media Mogul

For decades, Larry Ellison stood out as the quintessential Silicon Valley executive who knew how to enjoy life to the fullest. From spending nearly $200 million constructing a Japanese-style imperial villa near Palo Alto, California, to purchasing the sixth-largest Hawaiian island, his lifestyle was as extravagant as his business acumen. His personal life was equally eventful, as he enthusiastically entered into, and exited from, multiple marriages.

Despite his high profile, few people paid close attention to what exactly his company, Oracle, was doing. Even Ellison himself occasionally seemed to prioritize other pursuits over his company’s operations. In 2013, for instance, he famously skipped his own keynote speech at Oracle’s annual conference in San Francisco to remain on his yacht, focused on winning the America’s Cup—which he did. His reputation was such that a biography about him was humorously titled, “The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison: God Doesn’t Think He’s Larry Ellison.”

With a fortune estimated at $175 billion, there is little left for Ellison to acquire that would make a significant dent in his wealth. In 2022, he set a new real estate record in Florida by purchasing a 22-acre estate near Palm Beach for $173 million—an amount that represented just a fraction of a percent of his total net worth. That same year, he invested $1 billion in Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, remarking at the time that he did so simply because he thought it “would be lots of fun.”

Now, at 80 years old and married for either the fifth or sixth time, Ellison appears to be shifting his focus beyond mere enjoyment and luxury. Following a path similar to his friend Elon Musk—who oversees multiple companies that intersect and complement one another—Ellison seems intent on expanding his corporate influence.

Oracle has emerged as a potential bidder for TikTok, the wildly popular video platform that the U.S. Congress has ruled must sever ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a ban in the United States. On Wednesday, former President Donald Trump met with White House officials to discuss potential new ownership structures for the app. Though a deadline for the decision was set for Saturday, previous TikTok-related deadlines have come and gone without resolution.

Oracle nearly became a minority stakeholder in TikTok’s U.S. operations in 2020, partnering with Walmart in response to widespread concerns about the platform’s data security. A deal was structured in which Oracle began storing U.S. user data on its cloud infrastructure. The company was also set to own 12.5% of a newly formed TikTok Global, but as with many proposed TikTok deals, this arrangement never came to fruition.

A lot has changed over the past five years, particularly in the realm of tech mogul influence. Figures like Musk, with Trump’s backing, have blurred the lines between public and private sectors, using their immense wealth to challenge government agencies and influence political discourse. Ellison, who is among Trump’s closest allies in the tech world, appears to have grand ambitions of his own—ones that revolve around the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI).

One company, even as successful as Oracle, may not be enough for Ellison to achieve his vision. However, a conglomeration of strategic acquisitions just might.

Ellison has committed a significant portion of the $8 billion bid led by his son, David Ellison, to acquire Paramount, a media powerhouse that owns CBS, MTV, and a legendary Hollywood studio. Meanwhile, TikTok remains a dominant force in digital content creation, boasting 1.5 billion monthly active users—around 10% of whom are based in the U.S.

A key factor in these potential acquisitions is Ellison’s close relationship with Trump. In January, he attended the White House for the announcement of “Stargate,” a project focused on building AI-powered data centers. When Trump was asked if Musk might purchase TikTok, he casually added, “I’d like Larry to buy it, too.”

“All these pieces are coming together into something that’s not entirely clear yet—except that the Ellison family will be at the center of it,” remarked Richard Greenfield, a media analyst at LightShed Partners.

Neither the White House, TikTok, Oracle, nor Ellison himself have commented on these developments. However, Ellison’s long-term vision seems clear. “The only way I know to make myself feel better is to make the world better,” he told Vanity Fair in 1997. “Don’t mistake that for altruism. It’s egotism. Call it enlightened egotism.”

One way Ellison envisions improving the world is through increased surveillance. He has advocated for a future where AI-driven cameras monitor all public spaces, ensuring that every movement is recorded and analyzed.

“Citizens will be on their best behavior because we’re constantly recording and reporting everything that’s going on,” he assured Oracle investors last fall. “It’s unimpeachable.”

Another ambition on his agenda is to integrate vast amounts of data into a unified electronic repository, enabling AI to mine it for insights. At a symposium in Dubai earlier this year, he told former British Prime Minister Tony Blair that such a system could cure diseases and solve a multitude of global issues.

“I believe this will create a happier citizenry,” he confidently stated via video link.

However, Ellison’s data-driven vision has encountered resistance. In November, a federal court in California approved a settlement for a class-action lawsuit alleging that Oracle had unlawfully collected and sold individuals’ online and offline data without their consent. Oracle agreed to pay $115 million without admitting any wrongdoing.

Back in the 1990s, Ellison’s flamboyant persona made him a stark contrast to the relatively subdued Silicon Valley culture. He infamously described his leadership style as “management by ridicule.” When Oracle faced a near-catastrophic downturn, he bluntly admitted: “Oracle is run by adolescents. And that includes me.” He publicly entertained the idea of taking over Apple through a proxy fight and engaged in a long-standing, albeit mostly one-sided, rivalry with Microsoft.

His personal life was equally colorful. In a 2002 Playboy interview, he was asked whether, as someone with three previous marriages, he thought he could do better the next time. “There’s no question I can do it better,” he quipped. “Can I do it worse? I don’t think so.”

His fourth wife, romance novelist Melanie Craft, married him in 2003 with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs serving as their wedding photographer. One of her books, “Man Trouble,” amusingly tells the story of a romance novelist who teams up with a journalist to secure an interview with an elusive billionaire.

Ellison’s political leanings have also evolved. Once an admirer of centrist figures like Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, he later distanced himself from the Democratic Party, growing close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and criticizing Barack Obama’s policies on Israel.

“Bill Clinton was a centrist. Tony Blair was a centrist. Marco Rubio is a centrist. Mitt Romney is a centrist. Those are my politics,” he said in 2018.

Over time, he aligned more closely with Trump, though his support wasn’t immediate. Initially, he backed Senator Marco Rubio in the 2016 Republican primaries. By 2020, however, he hosted a Trump campaign fundraiser at his California golf course—despite not attending himself.

In 2024, Ellison initially backed Senator Tim Scott’s presidential bid, calling him a mentor. After Scott’s campaign fizzled out, Ellison gravitated toward Trump, dining with him at Mar-a-Lago and sitting in on transition meetings.

Ellison’s interest in TikTok dates back to Trump’s first term, leading to Oracle’s earlier involvement with the platform. This time, Walmart is not expected to be part of the deal. According to an associate, Ellison has likely been influenced by Musk’s acquisition of Twitter—realizing that true influence extends beyond wealth into media, politics, and culture.

Safra Catz, Oracle’s CEO, has led TikTok negotiations, while Ellison remains strategically in the background. Even if Oracle secures a stake in TikTok, other investors will likely remain involved, and the deal may not grant Oracle control over the platform’s prized algorithm.

Despite setbacks, Ellison’s belief in technology remains unwavering. Former Oracle executive Terry Garnett, once fired by Ellison in 1994, later acknowledged, “At the end of the day, he loves technology. It’s that simple.”

Ultimately, as Garnett noted, “Whoever has the data has the power.”