In a twist of irony, Larry Ellison’s extravagant $25 million yacht, originally dubbed Izanami, was rebranded as Ronin after a shocking revelation about its name’s backward spelling. Swift action from the Oracle co-founder ensured the yacht was no longer associated with an inappropriate term.
A billionaire was forced to rename his $25 million luxury yacht after discovering a deeply offensive meaning hidden in its name.Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison had just named his new superyacht Izanami when he realised something is wrong. The title, when read backwards, spells out the phrase “I’m a Nazi”. The vessel was built by German shipyard Lürssen and was reportedly renamed in a hurry after the discovery, reports the New York Post. 81-year-old Ellison chose the name Izanami from Japanese mythology. Izanami is a Shinto goddess associated with creation and death. At the time, the name appeared to be a cultured reference, but the reversed spelling sparked alarm once it was pointed out.According to reports, Ellison quickly moved to remove the name from the yacht after becoming aware of the implication. He also has close family connections to Israel.The 58-metre superyacht was later renamed Ronin. Ellison no longer owns the vessel, having sold it to Venezuelan banker Víctor Vargas some time before 2013. The yacht is now owned by Italian business executive and pharmaceutical industry leader Alessandro Del Bono. The episode resurfaced years later after going viral on social media.Ellison briefly became the world’s richest person in September after his net worth surged by $101 billion to an estimated $393 billion. He had surpassed Elon Musk for a short amount of time.Over the years, Ellison has faced criticism over corporate governance, with shareholders accusing him of holding excessive control, particularly during acquisitions involving companies where he had personal interests. Privacy campaigners have also raised concerns about his views on surveillance. Following the September 11 attacks, he backed the idea of a national identification database. More recently, his comments supporting artificial intelligence-driven surveillance have drawn backlash.
