Oracle co-founder Ellison back on top

Company's cloud deals this week boost Larry Ellison's fortune to $371.7 billion, second only to Elon Musk

- STEPHEN NELLIS AKASH SRIRAM

Fortune magazine wondered on its cover whether Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison might become the world's richest person, while BusinessWeek declared Mr Ellison is "cool again," noting that "Silicon Valley's bad boy is having his revenge.

Both were published 25 years ago, but they could've run this week. The octogenarian Mr Ellison is back in headlines after Oracle announced a clutch of cloud computing deals that rocked the tech world and sent its stock up 35.9%, putting Mr Ellison's fortune close to $400 billion, second globally only to Elon Musk.

Then on Thursday, news broke that Paramount, the media conglomerate Mr Ellison's family now controls, is preparing a bid to buy out the storied Warner Bros Discovery, threatening overnight to dominate Hollywood and culture.

The swashbuckling billionaire may have been known more for his yacht collection, his ownership of a Hawaiian island or his longstanding support of Donald Trump.

More recently, with little fanfare, he has plotted his way back to the centre of power. At Paramount, his son David appears to be tilting CBS News toward the right, tapping Trump supporter and former CEO of conservative think tank Hudson Institute Kenneth Weinstein as ombudsman for CBS News. He also is reportedly considering The Free Press's Bari Weiss for a leadership role at the news organisation.