Larry Ellison, Michigan Wolverines super-booster, moves past Elon Musk as richest person in the world

Oracle founder Larry Ellison is now the richest person in the world after surpassing Elon Musk for the title, according to Bloomberg. Ellison played an integral role in Michigan’s pursuit of Bryce Underwood this past recruiting cycle.

Ellison saw his net worth grow by $101 billion Wednesday morning after Oracle’s quarterly report surpassed expectations. His fortune is now at $393 billion, which moves him past Musk – who has a $385 million net worth, according to Bloomberg.

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Oracle’s shares increased by 41% on Wednesday after a huge increase in bookings, and that increase came after a 45% gain this year prior to Tuesday’s close. It marked the company’s largest surge ever in a single day.

Ellison attended both the University of Illinois and University of Chicago before starting his career as a computer programmer and later co-founding Oracle in 1977. He served as the company’s CEO until 2014 and is currently the company’s chief technology officer and executive chairman. He became the second-richest person in the world in July, moving past Mark Zuckerberg in Bloomberg’s previous update.

As Michigan pursued Underwood during the 2025 past recruiting cycle, Ellison took a central role as the program worked to flip his commitment from LSU. The Wolverines-focused NIL collective, Champions Circle, credited the Oracle founder and his wife Jolin – a Michigan alumna whom he married in 2023 – for being “instrumental in making this happen.”

Underwood’s NIL package will pay between $10 and $12 million over four years, and On3’s Pete Nakos reported he is set to earn $3 million as a freshman in 2025. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy also acknowledged the role Ellison played and said the two had a conversation about the importance of landing Underwood. He added that when Ellison “zeroes in on somebody, it’s a done deal.”

“We jumped on that call, and we talked and pitched Bryce,” Portnoy said in November 2024. “And I said, ‘Listen, Barstool and the marketing. But more importantly Larry Ellison and Jolin – nobody can match this. This guy is a legend.’ And we pitched and we pitched.”

Underwood is now two games into his freshman season at Michigan and took the big stage in Week 2 when the Wolverines took on Oklahoma in what turned out to be the most-watched game of the week. The freshman quarterback threw for 142 yards on 9-of-24 passing as UM suffered a 24-13 loss. In the season opener against New Mexico, Underwood went 21 of 31 for 251 yards and a touchdown in Michigan’s 34-17 win.