Tech giant, Larry Ellison, has bought the Hawaiian island of Lanai, the governor of the 50th state reported.
“It is my understanding that Mr. Ellison has had a longstanding interest in Lanai,” Gov. Neil Abercrombie said in an Agence France-Presse story. “His passion for nature, particularly the ocean, is well known, specifically in the realm of America’s Cup sailing.
Ellison, Oracle’s founder and CEO, bought 98 percent of the 141-square-mile island from its owner, Castle & Cooke, a Los Angeles-based company headed by businessman David Murdock, AFP reported.
Lanai, called the pineapple island, is described as having nearly 50 miles of coastline, two resorts and zero traffic lights, according to a Bloomberg News story. Some of its luxury hotels and rugged rural areas can be reached only by vehicles with 4-wheel drive, the story noted.
Ellison’s island purchase has trumped that of a fellow billionaire, Virgin Media mogul Richard Branson. Branson recently announced he’s reintroduced a native ibis to a small island he purchased in the British Virgin Islands. Ellison’s Lanai, the sixth largest island in Hawaii, it is 1,000 times larger than Branson’s island.
Gov. Abercrombie said of Ellison, “He is also a businessman whose record of community involvement in medical research and education causes is equally notable. We look forward to welcoming Mr. Ellison in the near future.”
