[2][3] He is cited as being the catalyst for "Oracle's success, ‘past, present and future.’"[2][3] Lane is a partner emeritus at Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley.
[4][5] He managed investments and held board membership in startup companies, and was involved in the development of enterprise technology and alternative energy.
[6][9] Lane grew up in rural western Pennsylvania where his father was employed as a design engineer for steel production plants.
[2][9][10] Lane was heavily influenced by his father, who had emerged from the Depression-era steel business as the first member of his family to go to college, graduating from Carnegie Mellon as a mechanical engineer.
[9][10] Wishing to follow in his father's footsteps, Lane first pursued a degree in aeronautical engineering at West Virginia University (WVU).
[9] After eight years with IBM, Lane was recruited by Electronic Data Systems (EDS), led at the time by Ross Perot.
[9][13][16] Apple founder Steve Jobs recalled that "Larry [Ellison] told me that 15 minutes into the meeting, he knew Ray was the only guy he had met who was near smart enough to run Oracle.
[9][10][32] Lane is actively involved in philanthropic endeavors, with a focus on higher education, the Special Olympics, and Cancer Research.
[33] As the chairman of the board of trustees of Carnegie Mellon University,[1][34][35] Lane spearheaded the institution's capital campaign and played a pivotal role in establishing its Silicon Valley campus in 2002.
[1][38] In October 2011, Ray and Stephanie funded the organization's international expansion project, Unify, aimed at fostering inclusivity by bringing together school-aged youth with intellectual disabilities and their non-disabled peers.
[39] Ray and Stephanie Lane are also contributors to the American Cancer Society, organizing and sponsoring events to raise funds.