| Larry Ellison, Oracle co-founder and chief technology officer, surpassed Tesla CEO Elon Musk as the world’s richest person. Musk has dominated the title of world’s richest person since 2021. However, Musk’s wealth has ebbed and flowed. He’s been previously surpassed by figures such as Bernard Arnault, CEO of luxury retailer LVMH, and Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post. Ellison took the title from Musk on Wednesday after the enterprise software company’s stock soared nearly 40 percent and Ellison’s wealth surged by more than $100 billion. Tech reporter Faiz Siddiqui digs into the details. Apple’s new iPhone 17 falls short on AI Tech columnist Geoffrey A. Fowler tested to see which phones offer better AI capability. He compared an iPhone running the iOS 26 software that comes with the iPhone 17, and the Google Pixel 10 that debuted in August. Apple has long touted its camera quality and speed. But when it comes to AI, Apple has a history of overpromising and underdelivering. Last year, an ad was pulled from streaming because it showcased Apple Intelligence software doing things that the iPhone couldn’t actually do. Apple also pushed back AI personalization to 2026. Both smartphones have the ability to run AI apps like ChatGPT or Google Gemini. Bosses want more workers back in the office pronto Big employers including Microsoft and NBCUniversal are cracking down on work flexibility and requiring more in-office work, with some threatening consequences for noncompliance, reports Danielle Abril. Microsoft told its employees earlier this week that they will be required to do three days in the office, with the first wave starting in February. A day earlier, NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast, sent a memo to its employees telling them to return to the office four days a week in January. Read the full article here. | 
