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SCMP Reporter

American billionaire Larry Ellison tells me money has made him a nicer person because when one achieves a certain level of success and wealth, 'you feel more self-assured and you are better able to accept yourself'.

 Larry is, of course, founder and chief executive of Oracle Corp, a company he started 20 years ago with only US$2,000 (HK$15,500).

 Today, Oracle is the second-largest software company in the world (after Microsoft) and is worth some US$40 billion - not bad for a set-up which Larry says never had a cash injection.

 Success and money, according to Larry, has directly improved his relationship with himself and with other people.

 In town for a fleeting visit just before Christmas, Larry met Tung Chee-hwa and other business leaders and friends. He says he discussed plans with the Chief Executive to open a research and development centre in Hong Kong.

 'Hong Kong has the best telecommunications system in the world. It also has a fantastic digital infrastructure and thus the opportunity to become the hi-tech capital of Asia,' he says.

 His long-term goals for Oracle are simple enough - to make it the No 1 software firm in the world, an objective he believes he has a good chance of achieving.

 'The world is rapidly changing from being dominated by PCs to becoming Internet-based. Oracle is the No 1 Internet software company, which powers all top 10 sites. In terms of the Internet, we have tremendous market share - more than IBM or Microsoft,' says Larry. But becoming No 1 was far from Larry's mind when he started Oracle in 1976.

 'When I started my company, all I wanted was to control my own working environment and work with smart, interesting and nice people whom I liked, and do projects I found fascinating. Sure, I wanted to make money, but my primary goal was to control my work day,' he says.

 While working at realising his corporate goal, Larry still has fun along the way. 'I'm in a tremendous business. I play amazing games with smart people, while the science and technology side fascinates me no end. I also get to meet the most incredible people in the world,' he says.

 The people Larry has met range from Jiang Zemin and Li Peng to Bill Clinton and Sharon Stone, whom he briefly dated. 'Sharon is a great person, but we didn't have much in common,' says Larry.

 In his spare time, Larry enjoys sailing (he was skipper of his 24-metre yacht, Sayonara, which won the recent Sydney-to-Hobart race in atrocious weather). He also enjoys flying jet fighters and playing the guitar.

 Single at the moment, Larry, 54, says he would love to settle down soon and have more children.

 But what does money mean to a man who reputedly has a personal fortune of US$10 billion?  'At that level, money goes beyond buying a house or a car or a yacht. For me it is a measure of how successful your company is,' he says, adding that at this point he sees it like a race.

 'Earning money is like taking part in a race - it's fun to win. The money is a measure of your winning - points, if you like - in a game.' 



Larry's life is one big race