David Ellison is making more headlines as the CEO of Skydance Paramount. The executive — whose company merged with Paramount this year — has one of Hollywood’s highest financial profiles, and, in turn, a net worth that towers like a skyscraper. The film producer found a way to ruffle even more feathers in the business, though, by commencing a hostile takeover of the Netflix-Warner Bros. Discovery transaction.
“We’re really here to finish what we started,” David said on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” on December 8, 2025, days after Netflix announced its acquisition of Warner Bros. “We put the company in play,” the exec added. “We’re sitting on Wall Street, where cash is still king. We are offering shareholders $17.6 billion more cash than the deal they currently have signed up with Netflix, and we believe when they see what it is currently in our offer that that’s what they’ll vote for.”
Here, learn all about David’s financial standing and how he got involved in the film industry.
“Our deal basically provides a significant amount of synergies in sports rights that will be able to protect those linear properties.”
– Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison on why his hostile takeover offer for Warner Bros. Discovery is superior to the Netflix deal pic.twitter.com/820BomO5fl
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 8, 2025
Who Is David Ellison?
David is the CEO of Paramount Skydance Corporation and a film producer with an extensive portfolio of productions. He is credited as an executive producer on major movies, including multiple Mission: Impossible films, Star Trek Into Darkness, World War Z, Star Trek Beyond, Baywatch and Transformers: Rise of the Beast.
He also served as a producer on Terminator: Dark Fate, Top Gun: Maverick, Air and Heart of Stone.
Before becoming a major producer, David acted in short films and wrote, directed and starred in the short When All Else Fails.
David is also a member of the Television Academy and the Producers Guild of America.
Is David Ellison Related to Larry Ellison?
Yes, David is the son of centibillionaire and Oracle Corporation co-founder Larry Ellison.
What Is David Ellison’s Net Worth?
David currently boasts a net worth of $500 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
How Does David Ellison Know Donald Trump?
The Ellison family has been tied to Donald Trump for years, but mainly David’s father, Larry. The elder Ellison’s Rancho Mirage property held a fundraiser for the Republican president in 2020, and Larry has been labeled as one of his long-term supporters by multiple outlets.
