Good Bad Billionaire – Larry Ellison: Winning the Database Wars

Podcast: Good Bad Billionaire, BBC World Service
Hosts: Simon Jack & Zing Tsjeng
Date: February 23, 2026
Episode Theme:
A deep dive into the life and career of Larry Ellison – founder of Oracle, two-time world’s richest person, Silicon Valley’s self-styled playboy, and a tech industry maverick who fueled (and survived) the “database wars.” The hosts dissect Ellison’s rise from difficult beginnings to unprecedented wealth, examine the controversies that have dogged his career, and debate his legacy in technology, business, and beyond.

Main Topics and Key Discussion Points

1. The “Ultimate Tech Maverick”: Introducing Larry Ellison

• Listener Request: Alex from York requests an episode on Ellison, calling him “the archetype of the rebel billionaire, visionary to some, ruthless to others.” (02:12)
• Wealth & Status: Ellison, in his 80s, continually jostles for the #2 spot on richest lists, with a net worth around $240 billion, sometimes briefly being richest in the world. (03:07, 03:15)
• Product People Haven’t Heard of, But That Runs the World: Ellison’s fortune comes from Oracle, a company that “made databases,” influential but less of a household name than Microsoft or Google. (03:24)

2. Origins: A Difficult Beginning Fuels a Fierce Drive

• Early Life: Born in 1944 Manhattan, raised by adoptive relatives in Chicago after his biological mother gave him up at 9 months old. Unhappy home, rebellious, found out he was adopted at 12. (03:54-04:29)
• Education & Early Jobs: Flirted with university (University of Illinois, University of Chicago), never finished degrees. Learned to program an IBM 1401 – a valuable skill just as computer technology was exploding. (05:44-07:33)
• Formative Rebelliousness: “I had a habit of asking questions that irritated my teachers. I was a little bit disruptive. I just didn’t believe what they were saying.” – Larry Ellison [05:14]

3. Silicon Valley Calling: From Job-Hopper to Founding Oracle

• Move West: At 22, Ellison leaves Chicago in a turquoise Thunderbird, drawn to California’s counterculture and nascent tech scene. (07:06–07:33)
• Programmer-for-Hire: Odd jobs, learns value of coding. “Computer programming gave me the same kind of satisfaction as solving math problems and playing chess.” – Larry, reflecting on early skills [07:33]
• First Marriage: Marries Ada (met at employment agency), who calls him “the most fascinating man I’d ever met.” The relationship falls apart over his lack of ambition, a turning point for Ellison. (08:27-09:31)
• CIA Project “Oracle”: At Ampex, works on a CIA-funded project called Oracle, sparking his lifelong obsession with databases. (09:31–10:10)

4. Databases: The Dawn of Oracle (and the Database Wars)

• The Relational Model: Inspired by IBM’s Edgar F. Codd paper, Ellison sees the potential to commercialize new database technology. (12:04–12:53)
• Founding the Company:
  • Software Development Laboratories, with Bob Miner and Ed Oates, founded on a shoestring in 1977.
  • First client: CIA, again. Product named “Oracle” after the original CIA project, marketed as capable of answering any question. (13:19–13:59)
• Bold Moves: Names their first release “Version 2” to create trust (“people think...they've debugged it”). (14:39–15:26)
• Growth: Oracle’s “promiscuous” software compatibility (marketed as able to run on any system) drives exponential growth, IPO in 1986. (17:11–18:20)

5. Corporate Culture: Aggression, Salesmanship, and Scandal

• Aggressive Sales: “Go out and don’t come back before you have a signed contract.” – Former Oracle sales rep [20:44]
• Growth At Any Cost: Sales teams even sold features not yet built, focused on customer lock-in and switching costs. (20:44–21:03)
• The Crash (1990): Rapid growth leads to inflated sales figures and near-bankruptcy. Ellison admits failure, lays off 10% of staff, Oracle sued and fined. “I didn’t know what I was doing.” – Ellison on the disaster [22:17]
• Turning Point: Ellison restructures, brings in senior execs; recalls debilitating depression but a “moment of clarity.” (23:00–24:14)

6. Billionaire Lifestyle & Notoriety

• Spending: “He had access to a billion dollars in credit...his accountant had told him to budget and plan because he was repeatedly pushing that credit limit to the max with his lifestyle.” (32:11–33:02)
• Passions:
  • Fighter jets (“owns two”)
  • Competitive sailing (America’s Cup victories)
  • Buying a Hawaiian island for $238 million
• Romantic Life: Six marriages, playboy reputation, legal controversy (sued by a former assistant, case settled, later discredited). (33:41–35:04)

7. Oracle’s Evolution and the Tech Landscape

• AI & Cloud: Slow to cloud (mistaking it as “gibberish”), but Oracle pivots hard into AI infrastructure, landing deals (e.g., $300B with OpenAI) and driving Ellison’s wealth to new highs. (36:06–36:46)
• Hollywood Power Moves:
  • Larry’s son David runs Skydance, producing blockbuster films.
  • 2025: Skydance (with Larry’s backing) acquires Paramount, making the Ellisons Hollywood moguls. (37:25–39:11)
• Current Battles: Paramount group launches hostile $108.4B bid for Warner Brothers, competing against Netflix for control of Hollywood’s future. (39:11–40:32)

8. Controversies, Philanthropy, Power & Legacy

• Aggressive, Sometimes Questionable Tactics:
  • “It is not sufficient that I succeed. Everyone else must fail.” – Ellison, quoting his own business mantra [18:32]
  • Trashgate (hiring investigators to dig into Microsoft opposition); business with defense, surveillance, and controversial clients (notably China’s Xinjiang police). (30:06–43:23)
• Limited Charitable Giving:
  • Signed the Giving Pledge, but “less than 1%” of wealth donated; grand statements but little evidence of largesse. (45:08)
• Power: Referred to as a “shadow president” during Trump’s second term, Oracle is hugely influential across tech, business, media, and government. (45:23)
• Legacy: Oracle is less known to the public, but omnipresent “under the hood” of global business. The hosts debate whether Ellison is an innovator or just a relentless operator. (46:10)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“I had a habit of asking questions that irritated my teachers. I was a little bit disruptive. I just didn’t believe what they were saying.” – Larry Ellison (05:14)

“If we were clever, we could take IBM’s research, build the commercial system, and beat IBM to the marketplace...we thought we could move faster than they could.” – Larry Ellison (12:31)

“Our policy is to be promiscuous.” – Larry Ellison on Oracle being compatible with all platforms (17:11)

“It is not sufficient that I succeed. Everyone else must fail.” – Larry Ellison (18:32)

“Go out and don’t come back before you have a signed contract.” – former Oracle sales rep (20:44)

“I didn’t know what I was doing.” – Larry Ellison on Oracle’s 1990 near-bankruptcy (22:17)

“I used to practice what I jokingly referred to as management by ridicule. People would be terrified to come into meetings.” – Larry Ellison (24:14)

“Trashgate”: Ellison hires investigators to dig up dirt on Microsoft’s allies (30:06–30:37)

“He had access to a billion dollars in credit...his accountant had told him to budget and plan because he was repeatedly pushing that credit limit to the max with his lifestyle.” (32:11–33:02)

“Wired said, in Donald Trump’s second term, one of the President’s advisors described Larry as a literal shadow president of the United States.” (45:23)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:12] – Listener intro/Why Larry Ellison is the ultimate tech maverick
• [03:54] – Early life, adoption, rebellious youth
• [07:33] – Arrival in California; picking up key programming skills
• [09:31] – CIA project “Oracle”; first taste of databases
• [12:04] – Inspiration from IBM, founding of Oracle
• [13:59] – Naming “Oracle”, first CIA contract
• [14:39] – “Version 2” marketing trick; early growth strategies
• [18:20] – Oracle’s IPO and Ellison’s early millions
• [20:44] – Aggressive sales culture and tactics
• [21:57] – The crash: 1990 accounting scandal, near-bankruptcy
• [24:32] – Extreme lifestyle and near-death experiences
• [30:06] – “Trashgate”: investigating Microsoft rivals
• [31:19] – Spending: fighter jets, yachts, Hawaiian island
• [33:41] – Marriages, playboy image, legal disputes
• [36:06] – Pivot to AI and cloud computing
• [37:25] – Media empire: Skydance, Paramount merger
• [39:11] – Hostile bid for Warner Brothers, Hollywood ambitions
• [42:00] – Scoring Larry: wealth, controversy, philanthropy, power, legacy
• [45:08] – Philanthropy: Giving Pledge, but “less than 1%” donated
• [45:23] – “Shadow president” and summary of power/legacy

“Scorecard”: The Good Bad Billionaire Final Ratings

Wealth

• Score: 10/10
• Summary: Not born into money; through sheer drive (and timing with tech), amassed one of history’s greatest fortunes. Homes, jets, an island, and two-time world’s richest.

Controversy

• Score: 8/10
• Summary: Aggressive, sometimes ruthless business tactics (“everyone else must fail”), infamous sales practices, surveillance contracts, legal issues in both private and public life.

Philanthropy

• Score: 1 (Simon), 0 (Zing)
• Summary: Despite the Giving Pledge, charity giving lags well behind wealth. “Less than 1%” donated, mostly to medical/education causes with some high-profile exceptions (e.g., massive gift to Israeli military non-profit).

Power & Legacy

• Score: 8/10 (power); 6.5/10 avg (legacy)
• Summary: Hugely powerful (business, media, politics). Legacy debated – not as famous as Gates/Musk/Bezos, but impact is everywhere thanks to Oracle.

Concluding Questions

• Is Larry Ellison good, bad, or just another billionaire?
  Hosts summarize the argumentative points and invite listeners to weigh in, reminding them to email or message with their verdicts.

Tonally, the episode is playful and sardonic, in character with the show. Ellison’s bravado and contradictions are front and center – the outsized ambition, the willingness to skirt rules, the self-mythologizing. The hosts admire his business acumen and hustle but are clear-eyed about the questionable, even unsavory, aspects of his legacy.

Listen for:

• Wild stories (fighter jets, marriages, “trashgate”)
• Insightful breakdown of what “enterprise software” means
• A frank debate of net social impact versus personal gain, summed up in Simon’s dry quip:

  “He’s one of those people who can pick up the phone and pretty much talk to anyone he wants to.” [45:58]

For More:

• Past episodes referenced: Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Zhang Yiming (TikTok), among others.
• Contact: goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com

Summary prepared for those seeking a thorough, insightful, and entertaining overview of what makes Larry Ellison one of the most fascinating – and divisive – billionaires in tech history.