Even so, Mr Ellison remains the world’s fifth-richest man, and Oracle the third-biggest software firm. He has a thing or two to teach fellow tech titans, in particular his friend Elon Musk, about staying power.

Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle Corporation, has an estimated net worth of approximately $200 billion, currently placing him among the third richest person in the world, according to Forbes.

Other potential buyers include the philanthropist Frank Mccourt ’s Project Liberty, which is raising capital to make a bid for TikTok in order to “rearchitect the platform” and protect user data. McCourt is a billionaire who previously owned the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. The project is supported by the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt.

US tech titans Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos are taking a prominent place in the new Trump era, but another player from another era -- Oracle boss Larry Ellison -- is making a surprise return.

During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, President Donald Trump floated the idea of Elon Musk or Larry Ellison purchasing TikTok, while also proposing that the U.S. government take a significant share of the transaction.

He previously floated a joint venture, saying that the US should be entitled to half of the app.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, President Trump suggested that he’s open to the idea of Elon Musk or Larry Ellison buying TikTok.

Several billionaires and media personalities such as MrBeast appear to be on the list of contenders to potentially acquire the popular social

As TikTok faces a potential ban, various bidders, including Elon Musk and Larry Ellison, are seen as suitors to buy the platform. Netflix is a possible option among streaming giants, though the company has not historically pursued major acquisitions.

US President Donald Trump he would be open to tech billionaire Elon Musk – the owner of social media platform X – buying Chinese-owned app TikTok.

Larry, let’s negotiate in front of the media,” Trump said at a press conference with the Oracle co-founder, SoftBank CEO Masa Son, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to announce a $500 billion artificial intelligence infrastructure investment.

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