‘They’re having zionist billionaire off’: Internet buzzes as Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison overtakes Elon Musk to become world’s richest person with $393B net worth

The race for the title of the world’s richest person just took a surprising turn. Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison has officially surpassed Elon Musk, taking the top spot with an eye-watering $393 billion net worth. For years, Musk has dominated headlines as Tesla, SpaceX, and X’s mercurial boss, but Ellison’s quiet climb up the billionaire ladder has left many netizens both stunned and amused. 

While some struggled to grasp how the 80-year-old tech mogul suddenly edged out Musk, others simply leaned into humor, turning the news into a meme fest. Under the announcement on social media, one user summed up the internet’s mood perfectly with the viral quip: 

“they’re having zionist billionaire off.” 

they’re having zionist billionaire off

— ໊ (@buffys) September 10, 2025

From jokes about Oracle’s mysterious business model to predictions that Musk will soon reclaim the throne, the reactions show how even the shifting fortunes of billionaires can become instant internet theater.

Netizens react to Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison overtaking Elon Musk to become the world’s richest person with $393B net worth

As news broke of Larry Ellison’s rise to the top, social media timelines were flooded with disbelief, jokes, and half-serious life crises. For many, the biggest shock wasn’t just the $393 billion figure itself, but the fact that it came from the founder of Oracle - a company that, let’s be honest, most people only vaguely understand. One user joked, 

“And we still don’t know what Oracle does,” perfectly capturing the collective confusion. 

Another added, 

“The Pythia at Delphi will always be my favorite Oracle,” dragging the database giant into Greek mythology territory.

Others couldn’t resist poking fun at the back-and-forth drama between Musk and Ellison. One tweet read, 

“I know Elon Musk will regain world’s richest person title but still I can’t prove it,” a nod to the Tesla CEO’s infamous volatility in both wealth and tweets. 

Another user noted the chaos of inconsistent reports online, quipping, 

“Buh google still showing Elon.”

Some observers treated the wealth shuffle like a boxing match nobody asked for. 

“Battle of mid,” one netizen declared, while another, overwhelmed by the astronomical sums, asked,
“Is there anything I can do that can make me this kind of money 😭.”

The sentiment across the board was part disbelief, part cynicism. After all, watching billionaires trade positions on the leaderboard doesn’t exactly change the daily grind for most people. Still, the internet thrives on spectacle, and Ellison snatching Musk’s crown provided plenty of material.

Ellison himself hasn’t weighed in on the jokes, but his trajectory isn’t a fluke. Oracle’s steady growth, combined with savvy investments (including a massive stake in Tesla), has ballooned his fortune. For context, the software giant has seen shares climb sharply in recent years, pushing its cofounder’s wealth into record territory. The fact that Musk’s net worth dipped amid Tesla stock fluctuations created just the opening Ellison needed.

For netizens, though, the financial intricacies mattered far less than the meme-ability of the moment. In typical internet fashion, the reactions became less about Ellison’s business strategy and more about roasting billionaires as a whole. Whether praising Oracle’s enigmatic brand or side-eyeing the surreal scale of their fortunes, one thing was clear: this billionaire shuffle gave the internet a day’s worth of entertainment.

Breaking down Larry Ellison’s climb past Elon Musk

Ellison’s ascent to the richest person in the world is rooted in decades of calculated business moves. As the cofounder of Oracle, he built the company into one of the biggest players in enterprise software and cloud computing. But his wealth surge isn’t just from Oracle alone, but his early bet on Tesla stock has been a massive driver of his fortune, with billions in gains from Musk’s company helping him surpass Musk himself.

Meanwhile, Musk’s fortune is heavily tied to Tesla’s stock price, which has been volatile in 2025. Recent dips created the perfect moment for Ellison to slide ahead. While Musk remains close behind, Ellison’s $393 billion net worth is proof that sometimes the quiet billionaire can outpace the loudest one in the room.