Oracle’s Leadership Shakeup: Ellison Assumes Direct Control Amid AI Push

Oracle’s leadership structure has undergone a significant transformation with founder Larry Ellison taking personal responsibility for nearly 40% of the company’s workforce. This substantial consolidation of authority places approximately 64,000 employees under Ellison’s direct supervision, including critical corporate functions covering legal, human resources, and financial operations.

Strategic Reshuffle Follows Executive Transition

The organizational shift represents a notable concentration of power for the company’s Chief Technology Officer. These operational areas were previously managed by Safra Catz, who transitioned from her CEO role to Executive Vice Chair in September 2025. Ellison’s expanded responsibilities arrive during a period of substantial capital investment as Oracle accelerates its competitive positioning in cloud services and artificial intelligence.

Market response to the restructuring has been initially favorable. Financial firm Jefferies reaffirmed its “Buy” recommendation for Oracle shares, indicating sustained confidence in the company’s strategic direction despite recent stock performance challenges.

Balancing Growth Ambitions Against Financial Pressures

Behind this leadership realignment lies Oracle’s aggressive expansion into cloud computing infrastructure and artificial intelligence capabilities. The company is substantially increasing its data center capacity to capture major AI-related contracts, a strategic pivot that requires billions in investment.

Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying Oracle?

These substantial expenditures have generated investor concern about rising debt levels and spending patterns. The stock’s recent performance reflects this tension perfectly: following a September surge driven by strong cloud performance metrics and a significant OpenAI partnership announcement, Oracle shares have declined nearly 30% and face their most challenging monthly performance since 2011.

Ellison’s assumption of direct operational control may represent an effort to enforce cost discipline and execution efficiency during this critical expansion phase.

Critical Milestones Ahead for Investors

Attention now turns to Oracle’s annual shareholder meeting scheduled for tomorrow, where additional details about the revised leadership framework and strategic priorities are anticipated. The upcoming quarterly report around December 8 carries even greater significance, as it should provide concrete evidence of how the expansion strategy is impacting financial performance.

Despite recent share price weakness, analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus prevailing across coverage. The central question for market participants remains timing: when will Oracle’s substantial AI investments begin translating into measurable financial returns?