The Ellison family’s latest strategic moves involving TikTok and The Free Press are reshaping the balance of power in the global media landscape. The deals give Larry and David Ellison a powerful foothold in digital and online media, a frontier that has largely eluded traditional moguls like Rupert Murdoch. By merging the reach of Paramount’s vast entertainment franchises with TikTok’s data-driven engagement model, the Ellisons are positioning themselves to pioneer a new interdisciplinary model of media innovation that blends Hollywood storytelling, Silicon Valley technology, and algorithmic audience targeting.
According to Anthony Palomba, an assistant professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, the Ellisons’ dual strategy is as deliberate as it is transformative. “You have a son who is going into media, a father who is close to Trump and acquiring the most addictive social platform we’ve ever seen,” said Palomba. “These are very smart people, and none of this is accidental.” His remarks capture a growing sentiment among industry observers that the Ellisons’ moves are not just about business diversification but about shaping the future of influence and communication in the digital age.
The Ellisons’ acquisition of The Free Press, founded by opinion journalist Bari Weiss, extends their reach into digital journalism and opinion media, giving them access to a politically engaged and highly educated audience. The move complements Oracle’s anticipated ownership stake in the U.S. spin-off of TikTok, one of the world’s most data-centric and behavior-shaping platforms. Together, these investments mark a clear bid to control not only how content is produced but how it is consumed, shared, and monetized across demographics and regions.
A spokesperson for Oracle declined to comment on the ongoing negotiations surrounding the TikTok deal, while a Paramount Skydance representative also withheld public statements. However, insiders suggest that the Ellisons’ silence reflects a careful strategy to avoid scrutiny as they consolidate assets across industries traditionally seen as separate, including news, entertainment, and social media.
Despite speculation about their motives, the Ellisons have publicly denied any intent to advance a political or ideological agenda. In an open letter following the approval of the Paramount Skydance merger, David Ellison emphasized that “everything we do will be rooted in trust, guided by facts.” The statement echoes the younger Ellison’s reputation for being methodical and apolitical in business, even as his ventures intersect with politically sensitive domains such as news broadcasting and social media regulation.
Still, observers note that Larry Ellison’s long-standing proximity to Donald Trump, from his support of the Trump administration’s push to keep TikTok under U.S. control to Oracle’s favored position in federal contracts, raises questions about how political considerations might shape the Ellisons’ expanding empire. Whether intentionally or not, their growing influence across multiple communication platforms places them at the nexus of media, politics, and technology, an intersection that defines the modern public square.
Industry analysts describe the TikTok partnership as potentially revolutionary for the U.S. media ecosystem. By combining TikTok’s algorithmic precision and Oracle’s data analytics with Paramount’s storytelling and brand equity, the Ellisons could develop an unprecedented model of content personalization and audience retention. This fusion of Silicon Valley’s technical intelligence with Hollywood’s creative expertise could redefine how entertainment and information are delivered, transforming passive viewers into active, data-informed participants in the global media economy.
For decades, moguls such as Murdoch, Redstone, and Bezos dominated separate lanes of influence in print, film, and digital platforms respectively. But the Ellisons’ blueprint goes further, aiming to unify these worlds into a seamless, data-informed ecosystem. Their growing portfolio now spans everything from blockbuster films and streaming networks to social platforms and online journalism, giving them a level of cross-platform integration few families in history have achieved.
Whether this ambitious model will lead to greater transparency or deeper corporate control over public discourse remains to be seen. What is certain, however, is that the Ellisons’ entry into online media and social platforms represents a seismic shift in how power, influence, and information converge in the 21st century. Their moves could ultimately redefine not just the future of entertainment but the very architecture of global communication and digital trust.
