He may be 81-years old, but Oracle chairman and mega-billionaire Larry Ellison, a database technology pioneer and a mainstay of Silicon Valley for five decades, is at the peak of his influence, wealth and political power.

He is leading a group of investors who will buy and oversee the bulk of TikTok’s US assets, affirmed by an executive order President Donald Trump signed on Thursday. He is backing his son David’s massive ambitions to become one of the country’s top media moguls. And earlier this month, Ellison briefly became the richest person in the world, eclipsing Elon Musk, as Oracle’s stock exploded on its prognostications for its booming AI business.

Ellison is cementing his place as one of the most powerful business figures in the world. A big part of that evolution has come as a result of his relationship with Trump.

Like many in Silicon Valley, Ellison’s political positions have evolved – from Bill Clinton loving Democrat, to a quiet Republican donor, to standing alongside Trump at the White House.

“The most interesting thing is how Larry Ellison went from being a very quiet, behind the scenes donor of super PACs to a much more vocal and active player in the conservative movement,” Terry Sullivan, who ran Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign which Ellison supported, told CNN.

Evolution to Trump

Until recently, Ellison was not seen as an overtly political billionaire – he has donated to both Democrats and Republicans. But that changed in recent years.