The next richest man in the world

　　Larry ellison, con-founder and CEO of Oracle, has b een in the news quite often lately, not for his outland ish(奇特的) comments, but for his battle with bill gates f or the title of the richest man in the world. The two t ech giants are currently battling it out in the $50 bil lion range, each changing the world's money title based on the daily performance of their respective companies' stock: oracle and microsoft.

　　Larry ellison is famed for his eccentric statements , including casually telling journalists a couple of ye ars ago that he could buy apple computer at the drop of a hat with his buddy steve jobs. He has also mentioned that he wouldn't mind dropping a missile at microsoft's headquarters and doesn't shy away from calling bill gat es the "PCPope". How can you not love a man that is so bold and unafraid of the world's most powerful company?

　　He's a billionaire playboy, a marketing whiz, first -class businessman, sports fanatic, world-class sailboa t racer, jet pilot, and avid(劲头十足的) cheerleader for sim plified computing machines ornetwork computers. He want s to make sure his gravestone reads more than beloved h usband and father(though he is neithe).

　　CHARISMA & CHARM

　　Any press conference he calls is attended like a be atles farewell tour. His charm is legendary, both for g etting people inside his company to do his bidding and getting key customers to eschew(避免) competing products inorder to use his. He is born businessman, leader and charmer.

　　COOLNESS FACTOR

　　He tried to buy a russian MiG jet fighter,but US cu stoms wouldn't allow it and he blatantly upset san jose -area officials by landing his private jet after the 11 pm curfew imposed in the area. When you have $50 billio n in the bank, a $10,000 fine seems like pocket change. Any guy who likes to defy convention and authorities, a nd files fighter jets for fun, has to be cool. It's par t of the definition.

　　CAREER STATUS

　　With a net worth of $ 50 billion, a super-successfu l company and soaring stock price, larry ellison has re ached the pinnacle(高峰) success.

　　TALENT

　　He was often accused of being distracted from the d ay-to-day operations of his company, but since he decid ed several years back to put his hands in every aspect of the company's operations, three things happened. 1) he ticked off a lot of top management with his constant drilling 2) he gained the respect of his peers and the business community 3) the compnay is doing better than is ever has before. That should be enough to prove his talent as a businessman.