Who is Larry Ellison? Everything you need to know about the $98 billion-worth philanthropist owner behind the BNP Paribas Open

Larry Ellison might not be a name tennis fans outside Indian Wells, California, are familiar with, but tech enthusiasts around the globe will certainly have come across it.

Ellison, who purchased the Indian Wells Tennis Garden and the BNP Paribas Open (50%) held on its grounds in 2009 for a whopping $100 million, is also the chief man behind American software company Oracle.

With the men's singles final of the 2023 edition between Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev taking place on Sunday, the billionaire was back in the news, and not for positive reasons. Audio issues cropped up on the court once again, making electronic line calling impossible.

The chair umpire then had to call out the calls himself. This led many fans on social media to joke about the ironic nature of software problems occurring at a tournament owned in part by Oracle.

Larry Ellison was also spotted at the BNP Paribas Open during Alcaraz's quarterfinal fixture against Felix Auger-Aliassime. He notably sat next to nine-time Grand Slam champion Monica Seles.

Without further ado, here's everything you need to know about the American tech mogul:

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What is Larry Ellison's net worth?

Born in 1944, Larry Ellison co-founded Oracle Corporation, along with Bob Miner and Ed Oates, in 1977. The company went public in 1986 with an initial public offering, following which it acquired several smaller companies to boost its value.

In 2013, Oracle shifted its stocks from NASDAQ (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). It was the largest transfer in the US market at the time).

Since its inception, Oracle has continuously increased in value, making Ellison one of the richest people in the world.

According to reports released in March 2023 by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the 78-year-old is the seventh richest man in the world. He has an estimated fortune of $98.3 billion.

Only Bernaud Arnault (Louis Vitton), Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX and more), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Warren Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway) and Steve Ballmer (Microsoft) have a bigger net worth than Ellison.

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Larry Ellison serves as the CTO of Oracle now

Ellison with Bill Gates at the 2023 BNP Paribas Open

After co-founding Oracle Corporation, Ellison served as the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of the software company for a long time. He eventually relinquished the role to Mark Hurd and Safra Catz in 2014. In its place, the American took over as Executive Chairman and CTO (Chief Technology Officer).

Aside from being a fan of yachts, military jets and exotic cars, he is also known for his philanthropy. Ellison has made charitable donations to Harvard University, Stanford University, and the University of Southern California, among others.

On the personal front, he has been married and divorced four times, divorcing his fourth wife, romance novelist Melanie Craft, in 2010.

For his contributions, Ellison was inducted into the Bay Area Business Hall of Fame in 2013.