When we want a little extra privacy, we might hang up a thicker set of curtains. If security's a concern, we might splurge on a home camera system. When you're a CEO worth over $50 billion, though, you simply buy the four houses surrounding your own mansion.
Yep, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg owns a $7 million home in Palo Alto, CA, but to ensure his family's privacy, he bought up the four surrounding lots for an estimated $30 million. And he didn't just buy them — he's going to demolish the existing structures and replace them with smaller houses, The Mercury News reports citing an application filed to city planners.
The plan didn't happen overnight. Zuck purchased his home in 2011, and ostensibly was content there until he learned that a developer planned to buy the lot next to his and build a house with a view straight into the Facebook CEO's master bedroom. (Suddenly, Zuck's extreme measures don't seem quite so extreme.) Having millions upon millions in the bank, in 2013 he started buying up the properties surrounding his own to prevent such a development from going through.
According to his application to the city, the new homes will have a 20% smaller footprint than the previous ones. It's unclear whether they'll eventually be rented out, sold, or if he'll use them as a compound for guests.
If privacy is such a big concern, you'd think Zuckerberg would have just planted roots somewhere more remote — like five to 10 miles west in the Santa Cruz mountains. But when you're the CEO of Facebook, you can afford to have your city life and the privacy of remote living, too.
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