Larry Ellison was born on August 17, 1944, in New York City. His birth mother, Florence Spellman, was an unwed Jewish woman, and his biological father was an Italian-American United States Army Air Corps pilot. Due to his mother’s illness, Ellison was adopted by his aunt and uncle at a young age. He grew up in a Reform Jewish household, but later in life, he became a religious skeptic.
Ellison attended South Shore High School in Chicago before pursuing higher education. He initially enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he studied physics and mathematics. However, he dropped out after his second year and moved to California. Ellison then briefly attended the University of Chicago, where he continued his studies in computer science. However, he also left without completing a degree.
Despite not finishing his formal education, Ellison’s passion for software engineering and his innate talent propelled him into a successful career in the tech industry.
“I started developing software when I was about 13 years old. I found that it was something I could do that I enjoyed, and I was very good at it. That passion and talent drove me to pursue a career in technology and ultimately co-found Oracle Corporation.”
