A billionaire had to scramble to rename his superyacht after a shocking realization — its name spelled something horrifying when viewed in a mirror.
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison had just christened his new German-built yacht "Izanami," completely unaware that reading the name backward reveals the shocking phrase: "I’m a Nazi."
The 81-year-old reportedly chose the name from Japanese mythology, inspired by the Shinto goddess Izanami, who is linked to both creation and death.
Ellison, who has close family ties to Israel, reportedly discovered the offensive backward spelling and immediately rushed to grab paint thinner to rename the yacht.
Ellison hasn’t owned the 58-meter Lürssen superyacht, now renamed Ronin, for some time—he sold it to Venezuelan banker Víctor Vargas sometime before 2013.
Ellison, who has close family ties to Israel, reportedly discovered the offensive backward spelling and immediately rushed to grab paint thinner to rename the yacht. ullstein bild via Getty Images
But the revelation has gone viral all over again thanks to social media, with online viewers swooping in—and the memes started flooding in immediately.
“That is such a classic billionaire blunder that it almost feels scripted by Jesse Armstrong himself. It is the perfect intersection of high-end pretension and a total lack of basic proofreading,” one wrote.
“This is straight out of Succession,” another wrote.
A third commented: “This sounds like something out of Arrested Development.”
Larry Ellison addresses the media alongside President Donald Trump at the White House on January 21, 2025. Getty Images
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison had just christened his new German-built yacht "Izanami," completely unaware that reading the name backward reveals the shocking phrase: "I’m a Nazi." ullstein bild via Getty Images
After renaming the yacht Ronin, Ellison reportedly sold it. Today, it sails under the ownership of Italian business executive and pharmaceutical powerhouse Alessandro Del Bono.
In September, Ellison briefly became the world’s richest individual, his fortune soaring by a staggering $101 billion to a mind-blowing $393 billion.
After leaving college in 1977, he co-founded Oracle—and today, he still holds the title of the company’s largest individual shareholder.
In the past, he has come under heavy fire for corporate governance, with shareholders claiming he held too much power—particularly in deals involving companies where he had personal interests.
At the same time, privacy experts have slammed Ellison for his outspoken—and often controversial—stances on data and surveillance.
After renaming the yacht Ronin, Ellison reportedly sold it. Today, it sails under the ownership of Italian business executive and pharmaceutical powerhouse Alessandro Del Bono. ullstein bild via Getty Images
In the wake of the September 11 attacks, he made headlines by supporting a national ID database, igniting widespread debate over civil liberties.
Lately, his comments proposing that AI-driven surveillance could influence how society behaves have intensified concerns over the alarming potential for authoritarian control.
Ellison’s political support for conservative causes, combined with his close relationships with controversial leaders, has fueled sharp debate. Detractors warn that his fortune grants him excessive sway over public policy, while supporters praise him as a staunch defender of national security and technological innovation.
