Larry Ellison, Not Elon Musk, Was 2025’s Defining Tech Titan

When the year began, a billionaire with close ties to the White House was a lock for the most newsworthy tech titan of 2025. But 12 chaotic months later, Larry Ellison, not Elon Musk, can justifiably lay claim to the title.

The 81-year-old Oracle Corp. co-founder and chairman has been omnipresent — playing a role in just about every major business story of the year, from the frenzied artificial intelligence boom (or bubble) to the megadeals that are roiling Hollywood. Oracle even plans to take a stake in TikTok as part of a somewhat tortured plan to help ...