Latest news with #FCC
The Drive
2 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Drive
Modern Cars Wreak Havoc on Radar Detectors. Here's How Escort Adapts
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Escort Radar, one of the big brands in the radar detection biz, has been under some scrutiny this year as customers and reviewers reported suboptimal performance on the $800 Redline 360c—Escort's flagship. Today, it's dropping a big firmware update to address those complaints. I've now had the chance to test this new firmware and speak with somebody at Escort, and came away with some insights you might find interesting, even if you don't run one of these on your dashboard. All radar detectors can be affected by the radar-powered collision avoidance systems of modern cars. And since more of those cars are on the road every year, filtering those signals out becomes a bigger challenge for detector engineers. As most of you reading this probably know, radar detectors are designed to alert you when cops are measuring, or about to measure, your speed. They're legal throughout the USA except in Washington, D.C., and the state of Virginia. Since we don't write about these too often, I'll quickly rip through some high-level context and then run down Escort's new update. A radar detector is basically a radio receiver. When police post up somewhere to collect ticket money, they'll often point a radar gun down the road, which shoots a radio wave at oncoming cars. When that wave bounces back to the radar gun, it does a little math and tells the cop the target's speed. Many American police use K- and KA-band radio waves for this purpose. The reason a detector is a viable countermeasure to this is that K-, KA-band, and other such radio waves, shoot wide beams that kind of spill out beyond one specific target—think, kind of, like a shotgun versus a rifle. So you can be driving down the highway, and a good detector will be able to pick up a KA signal before police have made visual contact, giving you a little heads-up. Adobe Another speed-measuring tool police use is laser—this is much harder to get any forewarning on. It's faster and more precise; while a good detector will have an alert that you're being hit with a laser, your speed will already have been measured at that moment. Some radar detector brands, including Escort, sell a supplementary device sometimes called a 'laser shifter' that's supposed to be able to confuse such signals, but that's not nearly as widely legal. Interestingly, radio waves are regulated by the FCC, while laser is regulated by the FDA. This is partially why the rules on the usage of both types of signals are inconsistent with each other. After polling radar review sites, forums, friends, and fellows in a California car club I belong to, I found that people willing to splash out on a high-end detector often favor the Valentine One, Uniden, and Escort brands the most, with Whistler and Radenso also getting fairly frequent mentions. However, the high-end Escort Redline 360c has fallen out of favor lately, mainly due to an apparently weak response time. It came off Vortex Radar 's recommendation list for this, false alerts, and general bugginess at the beginning of the year. You can update an Escort device via your phone's internet connection or with a computer using free official software. This particular update is a big one—expect 30 minutes or more to complete it. Andrew P. Collins The Escort Redline 360c is physically the same unit that was released in 2020, but has received quite a few firmware updates since then—the device typically gets one or two over-the-air updates per year. Broadly speaking, American Police speed-measuring technology has not changed all that much in recent years and decades. But traffic and enforcement techniques have, and both of those factors are significant in the radar detector world for separate reasons. First, let's talk traffic—blind-spot monitoring, radar cruise control, and similar safety systems have had a huge spike in prevalence in the last 10 years. That's created a lot of false alerts for radar detector users and has been a big focus for detector engineers. Joe Sherbondy, the Director of Escort's Radar Detection Products, told me this phenomenon is called a 'CAS blast' in the biz—CAS being a blanket term for collision avoidance systems, and blast referring to the barrage of warnings a detector would set off any time it got near a modern car. Refinements to compensate for this are a continuously ongoing process at Escort, Sherbondy told me, and I'm sure the same would be said for other brands. A Redline 360c unit being tested at a Cedar Electronics lab. Escort Secondly, there's the 'quick-trigger' method of speed enforcement that detectors need to contend with. Police are aware of radar detectors' ability to pick up on Ka-band radio waves before they can spot a potentially speeding car, so sometimes instead of simply pointing a radar gun down the highway and leaving it running, cops will manually pull the trigger, theoretically getting a ping before a detector can see it. But as Mr. Sherbondy explained it to me, that only gives the gun user an approximate idea of your speed—they need to hold the trigger down for a period of time to get a confirmed reading and write a ticket. Theoretically, if your detector could pick up the quick-trigger ping, you could still slow down enough to slip below the get-fined threshold for police attention. As for how a company like Escort figures all this out and proceeds with research and development, Sherbondy told me that for his outfit, the main source of bug squashing prioritization is a combination of scanning user forums, the brand's Facebook page, and feedback his customer care team gets by phone and email. I found a forum post from just a few months ago in which Sherbondy himself tossed up on a radar detector forum explaining an update and soliciting user feedback. So, some actual product testing is done in part by customers, while Escort also maintains its own closed network of beta testers. Of course, it does its pre-release R&D in a lab. In response to requests for transparency, the brand just released a white paper explaining its testing methodology along with today's just-announced firmware update. You can take a look at that here: Escort Redline360c July 2025 Firmware-Update WhitepaperDownload Escort-Redline360c-July-2025-Firmware-Update-Whitepaper This interesting document showcases how the Redline 360c's enhancements were measured and includes some insights on how speed is measured by law enforcement in general. Here's what Escort claims to have improved with its July 2025 firmware update (version 1.17), per release notes: Improved Filtering & Alerts: Modern vehicles use an array of radar systems that can confuse traditional radar detectors. Redline 360c is now a master of ignoring these invalid radar signals, with up-to-date filtering that can recognize automotive safety systems like adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, or emergency braking systems. This allows the detector to focus on and identify actual police radar signatures, ensuring that drivers only receive alerts that matter. Modern vehicles use an array of radar systems that can confuse traditional radar detectors. Redline 360c is now a master of ignoring these invalid radar signals, with up-to-date filtering that can recognize automotive safety systems like adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, or emergency braking systems. This allows the detector to focus on and identify actual police radar signatures, ensuring that drivers only receive alerts that matter. POP Alerts: With reliable POP alerts, the Redline 360c delivers consistent detection of radar guns that use POP technology, detecting signals 10 out of 10 times, outperforming the leading competitor's 8 out of 10 times. With reliable POP alerts, the Redline 360c delivers consistent detection of radar guns that use POP technology, detecting signals 10 out of 10 times, outperforming the leading competitor's 8 out of 10 times. Directional Indicator Responsiveness: The new update comes with improved arrow transitions that respond more quickly and accurately to threat vector changes, so drivers have enhanced situational awareness while on the move. The new update comes with improved arrow transitions that respond more quickly and accurately to threat vector changes, so drivers have enhanced situational awareness while on the move. Adaptive K Band Filtering: The new K Filter toggle gives drivers unprecedented control over their detection experience, with measurable performance differences for 'K Filter On' and 'K Filter Off' scenarios, ensuring a customizable drive for different environments. The new K Filter toggle gives drivers unprecedented control over their detection experience, with measurable performance differences for 'K Filter On' and 'K Filter Off' scenarios, ensuring a customizable drive for different environments. OnStar/Wi-Fi Update: For Redline 360c users with onboard OnStar systems, this firmware update addresses connectivity issues when updating via Wi-Fi for improved reliability and better functionality. Andrew P. Collins I have not run a radar detector since I was in high school, when I thought I was hell on wheels in my 160 horsepower base-model FC RX-7. Unfortunately, it did not keep me from getting cited for driving like a dick (I forget what the actual infraction was) or running an aftermarket exhaust (in hindsight, straight pipes might have been a little obnoxious for my suburban neighborhood). Both tickets were deserved, anyway. Nowadays, I just kind of drive at what I consider a socially acceptable speed for the road and conditions, and have mostly managed to avoid the scorn of law enforcement. However, I did find some significant satisfaction just watching the watchers, so to speak, with the Redline 360c on my dashboard and Escort's accompanying 'Drive Smarter' app on my phone. I quickly realized it was not practical to get images of the Redline 360c in use—my camera's shutter speed couldn't capture the screen accurately. But Escort's render makes it a lot easier to understand what the device looks like in action. At least you can see how the alert looks on the charging outlet (which has a secondary USB output). Andrew P. Collins, Escort After a few days of real-world testing in rural New York, my impressions are mostly good. I ran it with and without the update, and to be honest, I thought it worked pretty darn well on the old firmware, too. But just last night I went out, running the new firmware, and can confirm that in about two hours of cruising, I encountered four speed traps, and all four times the Redline 360c lit up before I had eyes on the cop. (Yeah, New York state has an intense police presence even 100 miles outside NYC.) The directional warning worked, too—it wasn't practical to document, but it was easy to watch the forward arrow light up, then the side I'd pass radar on, and then the rear light stayed on as I drove away from a lurking radar emitter. What it did not detect were the five other LEO vehicles I clocked in traffic with me over the same drive loop. I suspect they were not emitting any speed-reading radar while traveling—it's a radar detector, not a police detector. As far as early warning on speed traps, I was impressed with what I saw. The Drive Smarter phone app wasn't quite as satisfying—I had some inconsistent Bluetooth pairing performance. And while it's supposed to be able to get local speed-limit data from the internet to project onto your detector for reference, mine could never find this info. I didn't experience any false alerts at all. The Escort Redline 360c is physically and functionally a nice piece of tech. The windshield clamp is incredibly solid, and the magnetic attachment base hooks up with a slick snick. I really like the Knight Riderish sweeping red line animation it does by default, and having a mute button on the power cord is nice for easy reaching. I can't say if it's worth the price premium over more basic units, but it's been dead-on right and reliable in the days and hours I've been real-world testing it. A radar detector on your windshield invites some social judgment. I mean, the whole point is to enable speeding, right? My perspective is that there's a pretty big gap between exceeding some speed limits and reckless driving. Posted limits, unwritten limits, and dangerous limits are not always the same. Cruising at 70 mph on I-87 in New York is technically illegal, but largely safe, and certainly socially permissible. Weaving through traffic with a huge speed delta over other cars? That's where you start to become a menace—and a radar detector won't shield you from getting busted for that kind of activity anyway. Carrying excessive speed where it's not appropriate is dangerous and rude. But there's nothing wrong with having some intel on where speed traps might be hiding. Got any radar detector expertise or preferences to share? Drop me a note at
Forbes
2 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
FCC Chair Sees Paramount-Skydance Merger ‘Reshaping' Media Landscape
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr testifies before a House subcommittee on May 21, 2025, in Washington, DC. ... More (Photo by) Skydance Media's $8.4 billion merger with Paramount Global — a deal that's finally set to close next week, after a protracted regulatory review and behind-the-scenes wrangling — will go down as one of the blockbuster business stories of the year. But to frame it exclusively as such, as merely a big-dollar business transaction, is to also miss the larger forces at play once the deal is done that will indirectly touch millions of Americans. Specifically, millions of news and media consumers. In remarks to CNBC, for example, the Trump-appointed FCC chairman made clear that the Paramount-Skydance deal is about so much more than two companies consolidating assets. "President Trump is fundamentally reshaping the media landscape," the FCC's Brendan Carr told the channel on Friday, by way of contextualizing how the Trump administration actually views this merger. 'The media industry across this country needs a course correction.' Paramount–Skydance merger: Trump's influence and FCC approval In other words, the transaction is at least partly about using corporate power to realign how one of the nation's most influential newsrooms operates — and by extension, how millions of Americans get their news – while President Trump, from the wings, calls at least some of the shots. 'The new owners of CBS came in and said, 'It's time for a change,' Carr added. ''We're going to reorient it towards getting rid of bias.' At the end of the day, that's what made the difference for us.' The merger officially closes August 7. By then, CBS News journalists (CBS being one of the most important assets under the Paramount name) will be working under a new regime led by Skydance CEO David Ellison, a chief who's pledged that CBS editorial decisions will 'reflect the varied ideological perspectives of American viewers.' And many both inside and outside the network, no surprise, view those words as a warning, not a promise. 'I fear the end of CBS as I knew it,' former CBS anchor Connie Chung told CNN Friday. 'CBS was always a standalone network. It was autonomous. The news division was autonomous, and it was always unencumbered by pressures from politicians, including presidents, and unencumbered by bean counters. But now? I can see very clearly that the days that I remembered are long gone.' Anxiety has only deepened in the wake of recent events — from Paramount's settlement of a lawsuit brought by President Trump over the editing of 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris to the abrupt cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert just two days after the host called the 60 Minutes settlement a 'big fat bribe' on air. CBS' The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. (Photo by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images) Dan Rather minced no words about it all in an interview with Variety. 'What really gets me about this is that Paramount didn't have to settle,' he said. 'You settle a lawsuit when you've done something wrong. 60 Minutes did nothing wrong. It followed accepted journalistic practices. Lawyers almost unanimously said the case wouldn't stand up in court. 'Trump is now forcing a whole news organization to pay millions of dollars for doing something protected by the Constitution — which is, of course, free and independent reporting. Now, you take today's sell-out. And that's what it was: It was a sell-out to extortion by the President. Who can now say where all this ends?' Journalism and CBS News under the microscope in Paramount-Skydance deal Carr's praise for Skydance's Trump-friendly promises — like gutting the network's diversity programs — make clear the degree to which political considerations shaped the FCC's approval. Trump, for his part, has also claimed the $16 million settlement over his 60 Minutes lawsuit includes an additional $20 million in ads and public service announcements tied to causes he supports. Paramount denies any such deal, but many inside CBS see it as a 'Trump tax' — a price paid to secure favor. The timing of that payout, followed by Colbert's cancellation, has only fueled fears that political pressure is driving editorial and related decisions. Ellison, who's looking to slash $2 billion in expenses, has reportedly met with Bari Weiss, the Free Press founder known for her critiques of 'woke' culture – and bringing her on in some sort of advisory capacity, as has been rumored, would definitely tilt CBS News toward a more conservative editorial stance. That said, even as CBS wrestles with an ideological tug-of-war, not all voices under the Paramount banner are falling into lockstep. South Park returned to Comedy Central in recent days, with a premiere mocking Trump, the merger, and the controversial settlement — a reminder that, for now, some creators still have license to not just bite but devour the hand that feeds them. At its core, the Skydance-Paramount merger is the sort of business deal that regularly plays out in the press; this one, specifically, has teased cost savings along with a more competitive streaming strategy for Paramount. For CBS News, it's also kicking off a moment of crisis: Can the network maintain its reputation for independent journalism, when its new owners are pledging ideological recalibration to satisfy Trump's regulators? That answer will unfold in the fullness of time, but one thing is clear for now: This merger reshapes the balance of power in American media at a time when the line between politics and journalism has never been as thin.
The Hill
7 hours ago
- Business
- The Hill
Press freedom group files ethics complaint against FCC chair
The Freedom of the Press Foundation has filed an ethics complaint against Brendan Carr, the chairman of the FCC, arguing the close of ally of President Trump has 'engaged in egregious misconduct,' and calling for him to be disbarred. In the organization's complaint, filed with the District of Columbia Court of Appeals' Office of Disciplinary Counsel on Monday, cites Carr's public statements and actions in the weeks leading up to the agency's recent approval of the Paramount, Skydance merger. 'Everyone from U.S. senators to CBS employees to a dissenting FCC commissioner has said the settlement appears to have been a bribe to grease the wheels for Carr's FCC to approve the merger,' the complaint reads. 'Even putting Paramount aside, Carr has pursued numerous other frivolous and unconstitutional legal proceedings and threatened more of them in furtherance in his efforts to intimidate broadcast licensees to censor themselves and fall in line with Trump's agenda.' The organization's complaint was first reported in journalist Oliver Darcy's media newsletter Status. Carr had in the weeks leading up to the merger publicly blasted CBS News over its coverage of the Trump administration and indicated he believed the '60 Minutes' interview that sparked a lawsuit against the network from President Trump could hold up FCC approval of the $8 billion deal. Paramount, CBS's parent company, earlier this month agreed to pay Trump's foundation $16 million and its new parent company made several concessions as part of its merger agreement with Skydance. Carr praised those promises, including the appointing of an ombudsman to monitor CBS coverage for objectivity, in announcing the agency had approved the deal last week, saying 'Americans no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly. It is time for a change.' 'Carr's actions brazenly violate legal and ethical standards that govern the practice of law and public officials, undermining the First Amendment, the FCC's credibility and the laws he is trusted to administer,' the complaint said. 'His abuse of his office to force an unwarranted settlement of a private lawsuit, is shameful and warrants disbarment.'
National Post
9 hours ago
- Business
- National Post
Sutherland Announces Enterprise-Ready Agentic AI Delivering Real-World Business Outcomes
Article content Advanced deployments across media and telecom drive digital outcomes in CX, compliance, and operational agility Article content ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Sutherland, a global leader in business and digital transformation, is redefining what's possible when people and AI work together. Its Agentic AI solutions are now powering smarter, more efficient operations for some of the world's leading brands. Modular, flexible, and designed to scale, Sutherland's Agentic AI goes beyond task automation to solve real business problems. By combining human judgment with intelligent automation, Sutherland is helping organizations create secure and adaptable digital experiences that are built to last. Article content These deployments are already driving real results for tier-1 media and telecom enterprises, showcasing some of the most advanced, real-world uses of Agentic AI today. As businesses face mounting pressure to cut costs, protect sensitive data, and elevate customer experiences in real time – without expanding headcount – Sutherland provides a clear path forward. Article content Its enterprise-ready platform brings together a dynamic network of specialized AI agents that flex with the needs of the business. These agents handle everything from real-time translation and fraud detection to post-interaction analysis and automated coaching. As a result, organizations can move faster and deliver better outcomes without compromise. Article content 'Our vision for Agentic AI is rooted in collaboration – not just automation,' said Doug Gilbert, Chief Information Officer and Chief Digital Officer at Sutherland. 'We have engineered intelligent agents that think, learn, and evolve alongside humans to solve the most complex business challenges – from regulatory compliance to dynamic customer support. This is where digital transformation gets real.' Article content A leading global streaming platform chose Sutherland's Agentic AI to improve both digital and human-led customer interactions. The AI teams up with live agents in real time, analyzing questions on the spot and pulling the most relevant answers from a vast knowledge base. It actively suggests responses, summarizes calls, and recommends subscription upgrades – learning and improving with every interaction, thanks to ongoing human feedback. The result? Faster support and a smoother, more satisfying experience for both customers and agents. Article content Other key outcomes include: Article content U.S. Telecom Leader Protects Customer Data and Stays Compliant, Without Rewriting a Single Line of Code Article content When stricter FCC regulations demanded better protection for sensitive customer data, a top 3 U.S. telecom provider turned to Sutherland's Agentic AI to meet the challenge. The solution was rolled out rapidly across 27 legacy systems and 126,000 agents – seamlessly, without disrupting daily operations. Article content Sutherland's PCI-compliant AI agents automatically detect and remove sensitive data from voice calls, chats, transcripts, and screen recordings in real time. No rewrites. No delays. Just reliable, scalable protection. Article content Beyond compliance, the platform helps the telecom giant: Article content Detect fraud as it happens and securely process payments Analyze interactions post-call with built-in audit trails Unite all communication channels – voice, email, chat, social, and SMS – on a single recording platform Article content Today, Sutherland's Agentic AI is driving real results across highly regulated industries – from media and telecom to healthcare and logistics. By blending powerful AI platforms with automation and human insight, Sutherland is helping businesses stay compliant and create meaningful, lasting change. Article content About Sutherland Article content Artificial Intelligence. Automation. Cloud Engineering. Advanced Analytics. Article content For Enterprises, these are key factors of success. For us, they're our core expertise. Article content We work with global iconic brands. We bring them a unique value proposition through market-leading technologies and business process excellence. At the heart of it all is Digital Engineering – the foundation that powers rapid innovation and scalable business transformation. Article content We've created over 200 unique inventions under several patents across AI and other emerging technologies. Leveraging our advanced products and platforms, we drive digital transformation at scale, optimize critical business operations, reinvent experiences, and pioneer new solutions, all provided through a seamless 'as-a-service' model. Article content Article content Article content
Forbes
9 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
How Larry Ellison And David Ellison Pulled Off The Paramount Deal
T he Federal Communications Commission greenlit the $8 billion merger between Paramount and Skydance Media on Thursday, 383 days after the deal was first announced. The merger, which is set to close on August 7, will transform Larry Ellison, 80, and his son David Ellison, 42, into one of the most powerful duos in Hollywood, wielding influence over TV shows, movies, news and more. As Paramount's chairman, CEO and owner of 50% of its voting rights, David Ellison will oversee an entertainment empire with more than 1,200 film titles, including everything from 'Top Gun: Maverick' to a remake of 'It's A Wonderful Life,' plus distribution rights to another 2,400 films. Other crown jewels include popular channels MTV, Nickelodeon, Showtime and CBS Network. But it's his father who controls the purse strings and owns the equity, according to regulatory filings. The elder Ellison may have helped get the deal over the hump in other ways, too. The merger was approved only after some key concessions from both parties. Paramount agreed to pay President Trump $16 million—to be used for his future presidential library—in July to resolve a lawsuit over 60 Minutes ' edit of a 2024 interview of Kamala Harris. (A couple of weeks later, CBS said it would end Trump critic Stephen Colbert's late night show next May, citing cost overruns.) Ellison's Skydance, meanwhile, had to make written commitments promising that the company's programming would embody 'a diversity of viewpoints from across the political and ideological spectrum' and that it would 'adopt measures that can root out the bias that has undermined trust in the national news media,' per the FCC's letter announcing the decision. Another late change had to do with Ellison's control. FCC filings from September 2024 initially showed that David's father, Oracle cofounder and chief technology officer Larry Ellison, the second richest person on earth, held all of the voting and equity shares in the Pinnacle Media Ventures holding companies acquiring the Paramount stake. These shares were held through his Lawrence J. Ellison Revocable Trust, the same entity that owns his Oracle shares and most of his estimated $1.5 billion in real estate. Per these filings, the Ellison family also owned 67% of the equity and 78% of the voting rights in Skydance in part via Sayonara LLC, a parent company of the Pinnacle entities. (Ellison, a devotee of Japanese art and architecture, named Sayonara's three subsidiaries Aozora, Hikouki and Furaito, Japanese words meaning 'blue sky,' 'airplane' and 'flight.') In October 2024, an amendment filed with the FCC changed the voting rights so that David Ellison held 100% of the Pinnacle entities' voting interest, but dad kept the equity. There was yet another change in mid-July. This time David's voting rights in post-merger Paramount were reduced to 50%; his father Larry got 27.5%, according to FCC filings. That means no single shareholder can outvote David, but it also means that he needs his father to approve everything from budgets to key investments. (Larry Ellison appears to control all of the Ellison family's approximately 26% equity stake tied to those voting shares in post-merger Paramount, plus at least 10% more with no voting power, assuming all existing shareholders choose to receive their maximum cashout. On top of that, the Ellisons also own another 6.7% equity stake through Skydance Entertainment Group, per the initial 2024 filing, although it's unclear how that's split between father and son.) If his dad ever decided to team up with Gerry Cardinale's Redbird Capital, which invested in David's Skydance in 2020 and controls the remaining 22.5% of the vote, the two parties could block David Ellison. David Ellison could also sway Redbird if his father disagreed. The main reason for the change, at least two sources say, has more to do with money than power. ' From a voting standpoint, David Ellison will be in control through his entities, but the taxable benefits will flow to Larry,' says Los Angeles-based mergers and acquisitions lawyer Alex Davis, who is not involved in the transaction. Davis says the changes were probably due to regulatory reasons and are not unusual. 'His profitable businesses could benefit from any kind of taxable losses or depreciation with this business.' A spokesperson for Skydance declined to comment. Redbird, David Ellison and the FCC did not respond to a request for comment before publication. It's possible that President Trump's taking office in January also had something to do with it, too. While David Ellison met with both Trump and FCC Chair Brendan Carr ahead of the deal's approval, he also donated around $1 million to Joe Biden's reelection campaign in February 2024. Meanwhile, Larry Ellison and Trump have a longstanding relationship. In January, Ellison showed up at the White House to help Trump announce his $500 billion Stargate AI infrastructure initiative. And Trump told reporters that same month that he'd be open to an Ellison-led deal to buy TikTok, for which Trump has extended its sell-by date to September. Plus, Ellison has promised an overhaul of Paramount-owned CBS—potentially seeded by Skydance's vow to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs. 'I think he's going to run CBS really well, and I think he's making a good deal to buy it. I think he's great,' Trump said of Larry Ellison at a July 3 rally. Oracle is reportedly in talks to have Paramount and Skydance run on the same Oracle-provided cloud technology, worth $100 million per year. That's a pittance for Ellison, who's worth more than $290 billion, and earns more than $1 billion (before taxes) each year in Oracle dividends alone. A s for how David shares in that wealth, it's somewhat of a black box—intentionally. Larry Ellison put 90,000 shares into a trust for his two children, David and Megan, at Oracle's IPO in 1994. (They were three years and two months old at the time, respectively.) If the trust had held onto those shares, they'd be worth more than $4 billion today. But there is little paper trail since. After the 1994 prospectus, the children's trust was mentioned intermittently, then for the last time in a 2012 filing. By then, David and Megan were listed as having 933,334 Oracle shares via their trust. That's a fraction of what they should have had by then on a split-adjusted basis, meaning that millions of shares were either distributed directly to them; swapped out of the trust for other assets; sold as part of diversification or some combination of all three. What we do know is that David and Megan also got shares in NetSuite, a pioneering cloud computing company in which their dad was an early investor. When Oracle bought NetSuite in 2016 for $9.3 billion, David pocketed some $370 million (pre-tax) that today could be worth as much as $550 million. Skydance, Paramount and Larry Ellison have been intertwined from the start. In 2008, Larry Ellison incorporated Sayonara LLC for 'media production investments' and started pledging his Oracle shares as collateral for lines of credit, around the time David and Megan Ellison were gearing up to start Skydance and production studio Annapurna Pictures in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Per FCC filings, Sayonara LLC is one of the entities that owns the Ellisons' controlling Skydance stake. In 2009, David Ellison raised $350 million, some from his father, to finance a five-year agreement with Paramount to co-produce movies. He notched his first big hit with The Coen brothers' Oscar-nominated 2010 film 'True Grit,' the first feature film produced by Skydance, which grossed more than $250 million worldwide on a $38 million budget. As of mid-2024, Skydance had produced or co-financed 35 feature films, 24 of which were in partnership with Paramount, per regulatory filings. In 2023, Skydance lost $54 million on nearly $1 billion in revenue. (Meanwhile, Megan's Annapurna Pictures, known for critically acclaimed films including 'Her' and 'Zero Dark Thirty,' reportedly struggled with hundreds of millions in debt and flirted with filing for bankruptcy protection—eventually resolved with her father's help.) Although it's not known whether Ellison uses his pledged Oracle shares to finance Annapurna, Skydance or possibly the latter's merger with Paramount, it's likely, according to Davis. As of September 2024, Ellison had pledged 277 million shares, or $68 billion worth, of Oracle stock, to 'secure personal term loans only used to fund outside personal business ventures,' per a regulatory filing. Regardless, the fact that David Ellison has relied so heavily on his dad to help finance Skydance and now Paramount suggests that he may not yet have access to much if any of his Oracle shares. And while David, of course, will be running Paramount as CEO, behind closed doors, no one quite knows how Larry and David will coexist. 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