10 Lavish Monuments To Tech Egos 2
How do tech billionaires spend it all? Check out the toys and palatial homes owned by 10 of geekdom's rich and famous.
It's been a month since Oracle Team USA's sensational comeback to victory in the 34th America's Cup. And in the wake of this win -- given the estimated $100 million that Team USA owner Larry Ellison spent on the race -- we thought it was high time to highlight the biggest tech giants and their staggering displays of wealth.
All but one of the leaders we cover are billionaires. According to Forbes, Ellison's net worth tops the list at $43 billion, followed by Jeff Bezos ($25.2 billion) and Google's Larry Page ($23 billion) and Sergey Brin ($22.8 billion).
Let's start with the Oracle boss. Ellison adds real estate purchases to his collection the way most of us splurge on electronics. His lavish residences around the world reportedly include a 23-acre manse in Woodside, Calif. ($12 million), an equestrian estate ($23 million), a McMansion in Pacific Heights, San Francisco (just less than $4 million), and various properties in Lake Tahoe ($100 million).
The Woodside home was based on a 16th-century Japanese palace and took nine years -- and $200 million -- to build. On the plus side, the Woodside location gives Ellison a pleasant commute to Oracle headquarters in nearby Redwood Shores (roughly 20 minutes, we reckon). Ellison must enjoy driving, though. His many vehicles include an Audi R8, a Lexus LFA, and an Acura NSX. And up until about three years ago, Ellison owned a McLaren F1. He bought the exotic car new in 1995 when it was priced at approximately $970,000. At auction, the Formula One car sold for $3,575,000.
Of course, Ellison, a licensed pilot, owns jets and yachts. His aircraft fleet has included an Italian Marchetti jet, a MiG-29 fighter jet, and a Gulfstream V.
In addition to the Bay Area empires, Ellison also reportedly owns property in Rhode Island, Malibu, Rancho Mirage -- an inland resort town in Southern California, with a golf course to boot -- and Kyoto, Japan. His most outlandish purchase, though, is a Hawaiian island. He allegedly paid $500 million for 98 percent of Lanai last year.
Oh, how the 1 percent lives.
Continue this slideshow for more fun trivia about tech titans' extravagant toys.
The chairman and CEO of Salesforce.com lives in San Francisco's fancy Presidio Heights neighborhood, and he keeps some mighty company for dinner. President Barack Obama visited his home in April 2011 for a campaign fundraiser -- $35,800 a head.
When not breaking bread with the president, Benioff can pop over to his pad on the Big Island of Hawaii. Special construction on the estimated five-acre oceanside compound was completed about seven years ago. An element of secrecy surrounds the property to this day. According to local reports, the compound includes bungalow-like structures with thatched roofs and a lagoon pool -- a mini-village setting that amounts to more than 7,000 square feet of living space. As far as we can tell, this is not solely a vacation getaway, though. Benioff depends on working from his Hawaiian hideout on a regular basis. Aloha.
The Amazon.com founder and CEO paid $250 million for The Washington Post; the ink dried this month on the official sale documents. This acquisition is now part of Nash Holdings, Bezos's personal investment company. Another non-Amazon venture involves the construction of a giant clock by the Long Now Foundation. Bezos is funding that enterprise (reportedly $42 million), and the clock will be housed inside a mountain on his land in Texas. It is designed to mark time for 10,000 years, but there's no completion date in sight.
Meanwhile, the Amazon chief can enjoy his abodes. They allegedly include a place in Manhattan (Central Park West), a waterside manor in Medina, Wash., and a Beverly Hills mansion.
Most of us don't have this dilemma: "Where do I park my fleet of jets?" Brin (in photo) and Page, owners of several jets, have an arrangement with NASA at Moffett Field in California, located conveniently close to the Googleplex. Moffett is normally off limits to nongovernment flights, but the Google co-founders, along with executive chairman Eric Schmidt, signed a lease in 2007 through H211 LLC (the company that operates their fleet) to make Moffett the jets' home. The rent: $1.3 million a year.
In addition to a Boeing 757, a Boeing 767, and four Gulfstream V jets, the executives have added a Dornier Alpha Jet to the fleet. As part of the agreement with NASA, the fighter jet is outfitted with scientific instruments for NASA missions.
Out on the oceanplex is Page's luxury yacht, named Senses. This 194-foot floaty toy cost Page $45 million. The reported specs: split-level decks, indoor and outdoor eating areas, an on-deck Jacuzzi, a helicopter pad, and a gym. Senses accommodates up to 10 guests, 14 crew members, a catamaran, a motorboat, and kayaks, along with other water toys. Lest you feel pangs of jealousy, think about this: This type of yacht is more of an expedition-style yacht, as opposed to a cocktail-party entertainment-oriented motor yacht. Plus, it was a used yacht when Page took ownership -- it was built in 1999.
Also, Senses is smaller than Larry Ellison's yacht, Musashi, which runs roughly 288 feet. In the past, Ellison owned a 454-foot behemoth called Rising Sun, but he sold it -- a solid example of responsible downsizing, if you ask us.
If you live in Austin, Texas, then you know that "the Castle" in the local vernacular refers to Michael Dell's hilltop home on the outskirts of the Texas capital. The 33,000-square-foot chateau with views of Lake Austin sits on 20 acres of land and boasts eight bedrooms, 13-and-a-half baths (possibly more), a conference room, a gym, indoor and outdoor pools, and sophisticated security. Dell also owns homes in Hawaii, Mexico, California, and the Caribbean island of Anguilla.
Yahoo's president and CEO might live in beautiful homes in Northern California, but she can enjoy them only during nonbusiness hours, as per the ban on telecommuting she instituted this year. She has two homes: a sky-high nest in the city and a place in the suburbs. In San Francisco, she lives on the 38th floor of the Four Seasons Hotel. This penthouse is reportedly worth $5 million, and it affords views of landmarks such as Alcatraz. Thirty miles south of San Francisco in Palo Alto, you'll find Mayer's craftsman-style 5,000-square-foot house.
When she's not chilling at home, she likes to shop for knickknacks -- well-documented shopping spree interests include Oscar De La Renta, Chanel, Bergdorf Goodman, and glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly.
The Tesla Motors CEO and product architect and CEO/CTO of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) reminds us of Caractacus Potts, the eccentric inventor of the flying and floating car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. At an auction this year, a then-mystery bidder won an amphibious Lotus Esprit for $866,000. Roger Moore drove the vehicle in the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me. Who bought this car-submarine hybrid? Musk, an electric car evangelist and space pioneer. According to various sources, he plans to upgrade the Bond-mobile with a Tesla electric powertrain in the hopes that it will actually transform into a sub.
The eBay founder and chairman keeps a lower profile on the billionaire circuit than others you're reading about here. As near as we can tell, Omidyar owns palaces in the desert, the Hawaiian tropics, big-sky country, and coastal areas. They include an 11-acre parcel in the Seven Hills area near Las Vegas. The 48,000-square-foot ubermansion reportedly includes 33 bedrooms and 36 bathrooms. Estate No. 2 is located in Kahala, Oahu. Other residences include ranches in Montana and Southern California and digs on an island off the French coast.
In 2010, Omidyar created Civil Beat, a news site that covers public affairs in Hawaii with an investigative and commentary-driven focus. But now, in collaboration with Glenn Greenwald (formerly of the Guardian and NSA leaks coverage), Omidyar has taken a gigantic leap in news publishing. As we write this, we're learning that he is the backer in a general-interest news site, with $250 million pouring into the new venture.
Why limit yourself to one house when you can have four more adjacent ones? Welcome to Zuck Town. Reports emerged this month that Facebook's founder, CEO, and chairman bought four homes surrounding his 5,617-square-foot Palo Alto home for just over $30 million. According to the San Jose Mercury News, Zuckerberg is leasing the homes back to the former owners.
In addition, he reportedly owns a 5,500-square-foot house in San Francisco, which he bought for $10 million. The house is reportedly undergoing $1.6 million in upgrades.
Why limit yourself to one house when you can have four more adjacent ones? Welcome to Zuck Town. Reports emerged this month that Facebook's founder, CEO, and chairman bought four homes surrounding his 5,617-square-foot Palo Alto home for just over $30 million. According to the San Jose Mercury News, Zuckerberg is leasing the homes back to the former owners.
In addition, he reportedly owns a 5,500-square-foot house in San Francisco, which he bought for $10 million. The house is reportedly undergoing $1.6 million in upgrades.
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