Oracle founder wanted to buy Apple & fire its CEO, but Steve Jobs stopped him | TheBriefWire
Oracle founder wanted to buy Apple & fire its CEO, but Steve Jobs stopped him
Published 20 July 2026 ยท tech
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison once planned to buy Apple for $5 billion and reinstall Steve Jobs as CEO, revealing he had arranged to borrow the
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison once planned to buy Apple for $5 billion and reinstall Steve Jobs as CEO, revealing he had arranged to borrow the entire sum. But Jobs refused the hostile takeover, telling Ellison "I don't need any more money" and choosing the moral high ground. He returned instead via Apple's NeXT acquisition, becoming interim CEO in 1997 and rebuilding Apple into a trillion-dollar giant.
Published: July 20, 2026 โข 9:07 AM IST ยท Updated: July 20, 2026 โข 10:33 AM ISTBy TheBriefWire Editorial Team
Key points
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison once planned to buy Apple for $5 billion and reinstall Steve Jobs as CEO, revealing he had arranged to borrow the entire sum.
But Jobs refused the hostile takeover, telling Ellison "I don't need any more money" and choosing the moral high ground.
He returned instead via Apple's NeXT acquisition, becoming interim CEO in 1997 and rebuilding Apple into a trillion-dollar giant.