This Could Be the Biggest One-Day Wealth Increase Ever

Elon Musk has been the world's richest person for a little over 300 days—a streak that could be over within hours. Hot on Musk's heels is Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, whose fortune climbed by $70 billion after market close on Tuesday as the database software company reported quarterly results that exceeded expectations, per Bloomberg. "Oracle stock has soared 45% this year as of Tuesday's close, fueled by intense excitement about AI," per Business Insider. Tuesday's after-market boost brought Ellison's wealth to $364 billion, with Musk at $384 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Oracle shares were up $75.77 in premarket trading. If that gain holds in regular trading, Ellison's 1.16 billion shares would increase in value by $87.8 billion. In other words, "Ellison is poised to make more Wednesday than any human being likely has ever made in one day," Axios reports, noting "there are only 18 people on Earth, aside from Ellison, even worth that much to begin with." If that happens, Ellison would be stealing another title from Musk. For now, Musk's $63 billion gain in a single day in December 2024 remains the largest one-day wealth increase ever.