Larry Ellison Says He Was Drawn To Computers Due To Basketball, Saying It Was ‘Immediate Feedback’ That Got Him Hooked: ‘You Win Or Lose Very Quickly’

The Oracle Corp co-founder once revealed that his love for programming was rooted in the instant results it offered, much like scoring a basket in sports.

Early Lessons In Programming

Larry Ellison, a college dropout who co-founded Oracle with just $2,000, has often credited programming for shaping his competitive mindset.

In a 1997 interview, Ellison explained that as a teenager, he was drawn to computers because they were “completely logical” and detached from subjective trends or fashion.

“I liked what I was doing; it was very profitable, it was very creative and it was also giving immediate feedback,” Ellison said. “I could start writing a program and within several hours, I could have a result.”

The Allure Of Immediate Feedback

Ellison likened coding to playing basketball, where success and failure are clear and immediate. 

“The reason why games and sports are so popular is because you win or lose very quickly,” he said. “You don’t wait hours or days or years to find out if you’re winning or losing.” 

Five seconds after releasing a basketball, “you know whether it’s going in or not,” Ellison stated.

From College Dropout To Oracle Billionaire

Ellison was born in New York to a single mother and adopted by his aunt and uncle in Chicago after suffering from pneumonia as an infant. He later dropped out of both the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago, leaving college without a degree.

Today, Ellison’s net worth stands at $208 billion, ranking him sixth on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

As a child, he often clashed with teachers who prioritized memorization over curiosity. He quickly realized that many educators valued obedience above independent thinking, a mindset he says can suppress creativity and critical reasoning.

Ellison has also previously revealed that his initial ambition was simple: to start a small company doing work he loved. That company evolved into Oracle Corporation, which now boasts a market capitalization of $451.74 billion.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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