Larry Ellison overcame a tumultuous childhood and obstacles during his early life to eventually become the founder of a tech giant.
Between being born to a single mother, to living with his aunt and uncle, to nearly dying from pneumonia, Larry Ellison never had it easy growing up. However, he was able to overcome these obstacles and eventually be one of the top 10 richest men in the world.
Despite his rough childhood filled with instability growing up in the Bronx, Ellison did well enough in high school and was able to get into the University of Illinois-Champaign. However, after going through rough times following the death of his adopted mother, Ellison dropped out. He would then enroll at the University of Chicago, where he would also drop out. However, he did encounter computer science during his time there. This would inspire Ellison to move to Berkeley, California to pursue a new career in 1966.
In the 70s, Ellison began working at a company called Ampex Corporation. At Ampex, he was assigned to a project that he named “Oracle” which involved designing a database for the CIA. After his time in the project inspired him about regional database systems, Ellison would open a company called Software Development Laboratories, or SDL with just two partners and a$2,000 startup cost.
Using the IBM system, SDL (later renamed Oracle) would ride a tumultuous wave of ups and downs through the 1980s, but would pioneer a system rivaling any of the largest software companies at the time in the early stages of the Internet. Ellison became a prominent name within tech, and would even go on to accept a role as a director within Apple by Steve Jobs while still maintaining his position as the founder of Oracle. He would rise a gradual wave of prominence throughout the 2000s and eventually became the Forbes’ 7th richest man in the world in 2020.
In addition to his success financially and becoming a tech pioneer, Ellison has been involved in many philanthropic efforts, including donating over $200 million to cancer research.
