Investing

Larry Ellison's Net Worth Just Plunged $3.2 Billion

Ian Cooper

Published: February 12, 2025 9:43 am

Billionaire Larry Ellison just saw his net worth plunge about $3.2 billion on the day.

While a 1% drop in Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) put a dent in his net worth, it was Ellison’s 1.5% stake in Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) that really made a mess. All as Tesla shed 6%, or $22.23 of its value yesterday alone.

That now leaves Tesla down 16% since the start of the year.

Key Points About This Article

• Billionaire Larry Ellison just saw his net worth plunge about $3.2 billion on the day. While a 1% drop in Oracle (ORCL) put a dent in his net worth, it was Ellison’s 1.5% stake in Tesla that made a mess.
• Chinese rival BYD just introduced its advanced driver-assistance features across most of its EVs for no extra cost, fueling a brutal price war. 
• 4 million Americans are set to retire this year. If you want to join them, click here now to see if you’re behind, or ahead. It only takes a minute. (Sponsor)

Chinese Rival BYD Now Has a Competitive Advantage 

Chinese rival BYD (OTCMKTS:BYDDF) just introduced its advanced driver-assistance features across most of its EVs for no extra cost – along with the integration of DeepSeek software.

According to Bloomberg, “BYD said it will make its God’s Eye driver-assistance system standard in vehicles priced from 100,000 yuan ($13,700) and include it in several lower-cost models such as the popular Seagull hatchback.”

All of which gives BYD a significant advantage over other EV companies, like Tesla.

Granted, Tesla also released similar full self-driving features in the U.S., but it’s charging a subscription fee of $99 a month, or a one-time payment of $8,000. Tesla is also waiting on regulatory approval to launch trials in the Chinese market.

Meanwhile, “BYD has now gone from 0 to 1 in assisted driving development, which will accelerate the adoption rate of Navigation on Autopilot function in the mass market and lead to a wave of upgrades by existing users,” Jefferies’ analysts added, as also quoted by Bloomberg.

All of which is sure to fuel a brutal, ongoing price war in the electric vehicle market.

There are also concerns over Elon Musk’s other distractions

Investors are nervous about Elon Musk’s many distractions, too.

Not only is he busy in D.C., he’s trying to gain control of OpenAI from Sam Altman, leading a group of investors who offered to buy it for $97.4 billion.

However, Altman rejected the offer, noting that “Our structure exists to ensure that no individual can take control of OpenAI,” as quoted by Wired.com. “Elon runs a competitive AI company, and his actions are not about OpenAI’s mission or values.”

Musk also runs SpaceX, xAI, and other firms. He has a position in President Trump’s newly formed Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE. He needs to challenge BYD with lower-priced electric vehicles. And there are also concerns Elon Musk may have to sell some of his Tesla shares to fund his ventures.

In short, there are plenty of reasons shares of Tesla could pull back even more.

BYD just introduced its advanced driver-assistance features across most of its EVs for no extra cost – along with the integration of DeepSeek software – which is sure to fuel a brutal, ongoing price war. Plus, investors are greatly concerned Elon Musk has too many distractions.

After dropping from about $475 to its current price of $328.50, Tesla could pull back even more if Musk fails to right the ship.  From $328.50, Tesla’s next support line is at $309.22. Worst case, Tesla could plummet back to its November low of $238.88. Let’s just hope it doesn’t get that bad.