"Larry Ellison is very smart," Musk said ... particularly over their dueling space ambitions at Bezos' Blue Origin and Musk's SpaceX. Musk's praise for the tech billionaires comes as the cohort ...

Larry Ellison told investors at a financial analyst ... including one in collaboration with SpaceX, led by billionaire Elon Musk.

Larry Ellison hasn't been shy about his admiration ... and criticized the media for its coverage of Musk and his companies, Tesla and SpaceX. "I think Tesla has a lot of upside," Ellison said.