Larry Ellison, 81, is moving from yachts and mock dogfights to media influence, with Oracle among investors in a U.S.-run version of TikTok. The short-video platform, with 170 million American users, was ordered to be sold by Congress on national security grounds.
Ellison controls more than 40 percent of Oracle and remains its chief technology officer. The new deal could give Oracle a consumer-facing foothold, after previously managing TikTok’s U.S. data. President Trump has said the Murdoch family “probably” will join as investors.
The move coincides with Ellison’s son David completing an $8 billion Paramount-CBS deal and preparing a bid for Warner, which owns CNN.
“Everything is consolidating,” said Michael Socolow, a media historian. “To establish an editorial line across TikTok, CBS News and CNN — that’s a new world.”
Ellison’s net worth surged to $367 billion this year, briefly making him the richest person alive.