Control of data

The data control in question isn't held by a single **private company**—it's spread across a mix, but the core pieces are tied to **publicly traded** entities, giving the Ellison family significant influence through ownership and leadership.

- **Oracle Corporation** (the backbone for government cloud, AI infra, and TikTok US data storage/algorithm oversight): This is a **public company** (NYSE: ORCL). It's been publicly traded since 1986, with shares actively traded, regular SEC filings, quarterly earnings reports (e.g., Q2 FY2026 results released in late 2025), dividends declared, and analyst coverage. Larry Ellison is chairman/CTO and a major shareholder, but it's not private.

- **Paramount Skydance Corporation** (now controlling Paramount + the pending Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition, including streaming platforms like Paramount+ and Max/HBO Max for viewing/behavioral data): This is also a **public company** (NASDAQ: PSKY). The Skydance-Paramount merger closed in 2025, and the entity remains publicly traded. The $110–111B Warner Bros. Discovery deal (signed Feb 27, 2026) is pending regulatory approvals and shareholder votes (expected Q3 2026 close), but Paramount Skydance is public, with stock performance tied to these moves.

- **TikTok US operations** (via TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, where Oracle holds 15% stake and manages US user data/cloud): The JV itself is a **private joint venture** (LLC structure, majority American-owned by consortium including Oracle, Silver Lake, MGX at 15% each; ByteDance at 19.9%). It's not publicly traded—no stock symbol or public shares. However, Oracle's stake links it back to a public company, and data flows into Oracle's public ecosystem.

**Bottom line**: No single private entity "controls all this data." The Ellison family's reach comes through **public companies** (Oracle and Paramount Skydance) that are transparent, shareholder-owned, and regulated—plus a private JV for TikTok US. This setup allows massive data aggregation (behavioral from streaming/social, enterprise/gov from Oracle) while being subject to public market scrutiny, disclosures, and potential shareholder pressure. The real power is concentrated in the family via stakes/control, but the vehicles are mostly public.