Haute 100 San Francisco Update: Larry Ellison

Our Haute 100 list details the accomplishments of the most influential people in each of our markets—Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. These people continue to make moves, so rather than waiting for the next Haute 100 issue to come out, we thought we’d provide you with regular updates on those Haute 100 members who are making headlines. Check back daily for more info on the most powerful people in your city. Following Oracle Corp.’s announcement Tuesday morning of the company’s progress on acquiring Art Technology Group Inc. for $1 billion, CEO Larry Ellison’s goal to bring in software companies that dealt with specific industries only took six weeks to reach.

What Made Him Haute: We can sum up his haute factor in one word: Oracle. The billionaire entrepreneur is CEO of the software company and counts the likes of Steve Jobs as a weekend pal. Another way to impart the magnitude of Ellison’s hauteness: he ranked No. 4 on Forbes‘ list of world billionaires in 2009 with an estimated net worth of $22.5 billion. He is also an avid yachting enthusiast and owner of a 453-foot superyacht called the Rising Sun as well as a 90-foot trimaran. His BMW Oracle Racing team, representing the Golden Gate Yacht Club, brought the America’s Cup back to the states in February 2010.

What Makes Him Haute Now: Less than two months after making clear his aim to acquire software makers that specialize in specific niches, Larry Ellison is positioning Oracle Corp. ahead of the competition with the company set to acquire Art Technology Group Inc. for $1 billion, expanding Oracle’s business-software offerings with e-commerce software. Oracle is paying $6 a share, a 46% premium to Art Technology’s closing price Monday. Art Technology Group makes software with a focus on retailers, such as Best Buy and CVS.

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