Mark Ruffalo links Paramount-Warner Bros. merger to Oracle’s technology work with Israel

Actor Mark Ruffalo ignited a firestorm in Hollywood by linking the proposed merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. to Oracle's technological involvement in Israel and the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Ruffalo, known for his role in the Avengers films, shared a video of Oracle's vice chair discussing the company's support for Israel after the October 7 Hamas attack. He alleged that Oracle, funded by Larry Ellison, is being used to purchase Warner Bros. by Ellison's son, David, and that its technologies could eventually be used against the public.

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Look at how she revels in what we now understand as genocide, built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle.

Ruffalo's comments drew a sharp rebuke from Paramount, which accused the actor of employing "antisemitic imagery" and crossing a line by using terms like "genocide" and "apartheid" in a business dispute. A Paramount spokesperson stated that such language cheapens real suffering and that the company does not tolerate prejudice. The studio urged for a de-escalation of rhetoric and suggested Ruffalo's remarks revealed the "true motive" of those opposing the deal. Paramount also affirmed its commitment to not blacklisting creators who oppose the merger.

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Words like ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid,’ when applied to a corporate transaction, are not only wrong; they cross the line and cheapen the real suffering those words were intended to describe.

The actor has been a vocal critic of the merger for months, arguing it would harm thousands of Hollywood workers. He previously described Larry Ellison as a "classic oligarch" who "crush[es] workers and concentrate[s] global wealth for the sake of power and control." Ruffalo cited a report suggesting the merger could lead to approximately 4,500 direct job losses in Los Angeles's film and television industry, with thousands more indirectly affected. He asserted that such mergers are generally detrimental to workers, consumers, and the industry itself. This latest controversy follows a history of anti-Israel statements from Ruffalo.

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