A billionaire once faced a rather shocking realization regarding the name of his superyacht, leading him to change it entirely.
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison had originally named his newly acquired German-built yacht, Izanami, without realizing that if you spell it backward, it reads “I’m a Nazi.”
The 81-year-old chose the name from Japanese mythology, inspired by a Shinto goddess linked to both creation and death.
After discovering the unfortunate backward spelling, which could be seen as offensive, Ellison, who has strong family ties to Israel, acted quickly—he grabbed some paint thinner and altered the yacht’s name.
Since then, Ellison has sold the 58-meter yacht, now called Ronin, to Venezuelan banker Victor Vargas before 2013.
However, the story has resurfaced online, with social media users eager to comment. Memes have since begun circulating, poking fun at the blunder.
Some users labeled it a classic millionaire fiasco, noting that it felt almost scripted as a comedy scenario, suggesting a complete lack of proofreading on such a grand scale.
Others made references to popular shows like “The Inheritance” and “Arrested Development,” highlighting how the situation seems almost too absurd to be real.
Ellison has since sold the yacht, which is now in the hands of Italian pharmaceutical executive Alessandro Del Bono.
In terms of his finances, Ellison’s net worth saw a significant increase, reaching $393 billion at one point, briefly making him the world’s richest person in September.
Co-founding Oracle in 1977 after college, he remains its largest individual shareholder, but he’s also faced criticism regarding corporate governance, with accusations of excessive control, especially during acquisitions involving his personal stock.
Privacy advocates have raised concerns about his perspectives on data usage and surveillance. Following the September 11 attacks, he endorsed a national identification database, igniting debates about civil liberties.
More recently, his comments suggesting that AI surveillance could promote better social behavior have sparked worries about potential authoritarian misuse of technology.
Politically, his backing of conservative causes and associations with controversial figures have drawn mixed reactions. Critics argue that his wealth grants him disproportionate influence over public policy, while his supporters see him as a key advocate for national security and tech innovation.
