Larry Ellison Is Subject of Bloomberg TV Documentary

It’s true. Whenever you deposit a check, book an airline reservation or rent a car, you’re likely to use an Oracle database or application. Oracle software has become a key backbone of the world’s information systems during its 30-year-plus existence.

The man behind all that functionality, co-founder and CEO Larry Ellison, has been one of the most interesting characters in the IT business for more than a generation. Now you have a chance to get a close look at how he got where he is today — one of the richest and most powerful businessmen in the world.

This week’s “Bloomberg Game Changers” (Thursday, Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. U.S. Pacific/9 p.m. U.S. Eastern time) follows Ellison from his early days in Chicago through the founding of the multibillion-dollar software company to his rise to become the highest-paid executive of the last decade with a total compensation of $1.84 billion. ($68 million of that came in 2009 alone; $84 million went into his accounts in 2002.)

Interviewees include Bruce Scott and Stuart Feigin, who were with Ellison at the start of Oracle as employee Nos. 4 and 5; Mike Wilson, author of “The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison: *God Doesn’t Think He’s Larry Ellison”; Zach Nelson, president and CEO of NetSuite; and Gary Bloom, former EVP of Oracle and president of Veritas.

You can see a YouTube preview of the show here.

“Bloomberg Game Changers” is an original documentary series that looks at influential leaders in technology, finance, politics and culture. The series, which airs through January 2011, has profiled Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, comedian Jon Stewart, Henry Kravis of Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts, and musician Jay-Z.

To find the Bloomberg cable channel in your area, go here.