Oracle founder Larry Ellison surprised the tech and healthcare industry with an announcement that Oracle will relocate its global headquarters to Nashville, Tennessee.

Oracle announced it was relocating its headquarters from California to Austin, Texas in December 2020. Now, less than four years later, Ellison says the company is moving to Nashville.

According to The Tennessean, Ellison made the comments to Bill Frist at the Oracle Health Summit, which was held in the city. Ellison made clear that the healthcare industry was a big factor in the move.

“Nashville is already a health center,” Ellison said. “We’re moving this huge campus which will ultimately be our world headquarters to Nashville.”

“We want to be in a health center and we want to be in a community and I use that word very precisely,” Ellison added. “We want to be part of a community where people want to live. Nashville is a fabulous place to live. It’s a great place to raise a family. It’s got a unique and vibrant culture. As we surveyed our employees, Nashville ticked all the boxes. It’s the center of the industry we’re most concerned about which was the health care industry.”

The announcement comes amid Oracle’s growing focus on the healthcare industry. The company purchased medical records giant Cerner, using it as a cornerstone of its Oracle Health division. In that context, moving to a city with a well-established reputation in the healthcare industry seems the perfect match.

At the same time, the news deals another blow to Austin’s efforts to establish itself as a Silicon Valley alternative. Several years ago, there was a flood of companies looking to make the move from California to Texas, with many choosing Austin specifically. Unfortunately, the reality has not lived up to the hype, with angel investor Mike Change saying “Austin is where ambition goes to die.”