Long before Larry Ellison became the world’s second-richest man, he stood alone defending Elon Musk—while critics tore him down. Back in 2018, Ellison publicly mocked the experts who called Musk clueless. “You ever land a rocket?” he asked. “Elon’s landing rockets on drone ships. And you say he’s the idiot?”
It wasn’t just talk. In 2019, Ellison invested $1 billion in Tesla and joined the board. While others doubted, Ellison bet big on Musk—and backed him as a friend.
Fast forward to 2025: SpaceX rules space launches. Starlink blankets the globe with satellite internet. Starship is gearing up for interplanetary travel. Even Elon’s skeptics now watch in silence.
Bezos’s Blue Origin finally reached orbit, but its booster failed to land—proof of the contrast Ellison saw years earlier.
When Musk was asked to name the smartest CEO he’d ever met, he didn’t hesitate. “Larry Ellison,” he said.
One built the rockets. The other saw the future first.
