Oracle founder Larry Ellison has put in place a trading arrangement that could see him sell as many as 50 million shares in the technology company, with the stock currently valued at about $7.5bn.
According to a regulatory filing published Friday, Ellison entered the trading plan on June 22, and it is scheduled to remain in effect until October 24.
The proposed sale represents an unusual move for Ellison, who has maintained a substantial stake in Oracle since founding the company in 1977.
FactSet data shows that Ellison controls more than 40 per cent of Oracle. Even if he sells the entire 50 million shares covered by the plan, he would still hold about 1.1 billion shares in the company.
Ellison’s decision also stands out because of his limited history of selling Oracle stock. Since the beginning of the century, he has not sold more than 25,000 Oracle shares in a single transaction, according to FactSet.
A spokesperson for Ellison did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At 82, Ellison remains one of the key figures behind Oracle’s transformation from a traditional software company into a major provider of infrastructure supporting artificial intelligence.
The company’s latest financial results highlighted the strength of that expansion. Oracle reported better-than-expected earnings on Thursday, while revenue from its cloud infrastructure business increased by 121 per cent year-on-year.
However, Oracle’s rapid expansion into cloud and AI infrastructure has also come with increased borrowing. The company has accumulated significant debt, prompting concerns among investors.
Those concerns have contributed to a decline of about 20 per cent in Oracle’s share price since the beginning of the year.
Ellison, who ranks as the world’s seventh-richest person, has also been involved in other major business ventures. He helped finance the 2025 merger involving his son David Ellison’s production company, Skydance, and Paramount.
