Early Life
Larry Ellison was born Lawrence Joseph Ellison on August 17, 1944, in New York City. He was raised by his aunt and uncle in Chicago after being given up for adoption at a young age. Ellison attended the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he was named science student of the year, but he dropped out during his sophomore year. He later attended the University of Chicago for a term before permanently moving to California.
Rise to Success
Ellison's career began as a computer programmer. In 1977, he co-founded Software Development Laboratories (SDL) with Bob Miner and Ed Oates. Inspired by Edgar F. Codd's work on relational databases, Ellison and his partners developed a database management system that would become Oracle. The company was later renamed Relational Software, Inc. (RSI) in 1979 and then Oracle Systems Corporation in 1983. Oracle went public in 1986. Ellison served as CEO of Oracle from 1977 to 2014 and currently holds the positions of CTO and Executive Chairman. Under his guidance, Oracle has grown into a major player in the technology industry, specializing in database software, enterprise applications, and cloud infrastructure.
Key Business Strategies
Ellison's business strategies have included a focus on technological innovation, strategic acquisitions, and aggressive competition. He expanded Oracle's offerings through acquiring companies like PeopleSoft, Siebel Systems, and Sun Microsystems. Ellison also has been known for his strong leadership and willingness to take risks. In recent years, Oracle has focused on cloud computing, with significant investment in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and Oracle Cloud Applications (OCA).
Philanthropy
Specific details on Larry Ellison’s total philanthropic contributions are challenging to find. However, the Larry Ellison Foundation supports various causes. It is known that he made a significant donation to the University of Southern California (USC) for cancer research.