How Larry Ellison is helping his son David build a media empire, including making the case to Trump for why Paramount, not Netflix, should acquire WBD
When David Ellison became a teenager, his father, Larry, bought him a gift not usually bestowed on a 13th birthday: his own Katana stunt plane.
New York TimesTheodore Schleifer
Context & Ripple Effects
The Ellisons’ media ambitions had already moved from financing to control: an [[a:874580|FCC filing detailed Larry Ellison’s 77.5% ownership of Paramount’s parent after the Skydance transaction]], while earlier coverage described his central role in funding David Ellison’s Paramount bid. The WBD contest therefore extends an existing family-backed ownership strategy rather than standing alone.
The reported outreach to Trump follows [[a:893442|an earlier account of Larry Ellison arguing that a Netflix-WBD deal would reduce competition]]. It matters because the contest is being framed not only around scale and assets, but also around which buyer can make a persuasive case to policymakers.
First-order effects
Paramount gains a prominent financial backer and owner advocating its case for WBD, increasing the visibility of its alternative to Netflix’s proposed acquisition.
Netflix faces a more politically charged challenge to its WBD transaction, centered on the Ellisons’ competition argument rather than solely on commercial terms.
Second-order effects
WBD’s negotiating leverage may improve if Paramount is treated as a credible alternative buyer, while Netflix may need to make a stronger case that its transaction preserves competition.
The outcome puts greater weight on the Ellisons’ ownership and financing position at Paramount, reinforcing David Ellison’s role as the operating face of a family-backed media strategy.
Third-order effects
If political access increasingly affects which media combinations are considered viable, major entertainment transactions may be judged more through owner relationships and editorial commitments alongside conventional competition analysis.
The broader structural shift is toward concentrated, cross-platform media ownership in which the same controlling families can influence both acquisition strategy and the public-policy environment around it.
The trend: This is one data point in the growing convergence of media consolidation, billionaire ownership and political influence over deal approval.
The Ellisons are trying to become conservative media moguls like the Murdochs. That could radically shift the American media environment to the right. https://www.nytimes.com/...
NEW — 'Tis the season for giving. 🎄🧑🎄 And all Larry Ellison wants to do is give his son David a massive media company. Inside the Larry-David relationship, and how the Ellisons are tag-teaming Donald Trump to try and buy Warner Brothers. Scoops here: https://www.nytimes.com/...
“Trump has privately said Larry Ellison assured him that he would turn CBS News, which the Ellisons took over when they bought Paramount, into a more conservative outlet, two people with knowledge of the president's comments said” https://www.nytimes.com/...
“When David Ellison became a teenager, his father, Larry, bought him a gift not usually bestowed on a 13th birthday: his own Katana stunt plane. With their own aircraft, father & son could bond in the air, ruling the skies together.” @teddyschleifer https://www.nytimes.com/...
“Trump has privately said Larry Ellison assured him that he would turn CBS News, which the Ellisons took over when they bought Paramount, into a more conservative outlet, two people with knowledge of the president's comments said.” https://www.nytimes.com/... via @NYTimes
https://www.nytimes.com/.... Does this story reflect where they are? Feels speculative - but the CBS + TikTok power base, even without CNN is a massive shift in media and power -
Trump has privately said Larry Ellison assured him that he would turn CBS News, which the Ellisons took over when they bought Paramount, into a more conservative outlet, two people with knowledge of the president's comments said. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Imagine calling your billionaire software-entrepreneur father mid-medical emergency for advice because he claims to be ‘knowledgeable about healthcare’ [image]
Larry and David Ellison didn't always have a close relationship. Now they're one of the most intriguing partnerships in business. https://www.nytimes.com/...
In the news business, we call this a “puff piece.” It's about the Ellisons, an “intriguing partnership,” according to the NY Times, which seems more impressed by people's bank accounts than anything else. The Ellisons are buying up media to prop up a dictator. That's the news.…
Reminder that their whole deal is that they think you should be “better behaved” and the way to achieve that is that they get to surveil every aspect of your life and assemble various ways of entrapping you into their preferred behaviors at your expense
“A Father, a Son and Their $108 Billion Push for Media Moguldom: Larry and David Ellison didn't always have a close relationship. Now they're one of the most intriguing partnerships in business.” — www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/b...
I'm not saying every profile has to be a hit piece, but come on. Do we really need quotes like this? — “Larry is one of the smartest people I've ever met, but I honestly think David may be even smarter.” 2/4