LARRY ELLISON: THE PRINCE OF SAN MATEO

LARRY ELLISON, SOFTWARE'S SECOND RICHEST MAN, RULES HIS $28 BILLION EMPIRE WITH CUNNING AND CAPRICE. HIS NEXT TARGET: MICROSOFT

One thing you've got to say about Larry Ellison: when he made a billion dollars, he decided to enjoy it. Why should he listen to anyone else telling him what to do? Why should he worry? "It seems like a fruitless activity. I observe and I plan and I think and I strategize," he says. He can do anything he wants. He can go anywhere, say anything, buy anything. He's got a billion, right?

Seven billion, actually. And the mercurial software baron--who owes his success to a database-management program most Americans have never heard of--has taken full advantage of the fortune....

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