Mansions of Powerful CEOs

In May 2011, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg bought a $7 million home in Palo Alto, Calif. He doesn’t move in for a few months, so the address remains a closely guarded secret until the current occupants move out. However, a few details have emerged -- the 5,000-square-foot home has five bedrooms, five bathrooms and a pool. It’s not quite on the same level as Bill Gates’ 50,050-square-foot Washington mansion, but it’s not a bad start for a man whose last few homes were rentals.

Zuckerberg’s new home is beyond the reach of the average person’s checkbook. However, it’s downright modest by the standards of some powerful American CEOs. Some of the biggest names in executive leadership live in extravagant mansions with 25 bathrooms, four-story guest homes and sweeping vistas of the Pacific Ocean, all visible from a garden dotted with flora grown by celebrity botanist David Bellamy.

Steve Jobs, Apple, Inc.
Estimated Price: $2.6 million
Location: Palo Alto, Calif.
Beds/Baths: 7 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 1 half bathroom
Square feet: 5,678

Home belonging to Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Photo: Bing Maps | Inset: Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

Like many tech giants, Apple CEO Steve Jobs lives in Northern California. When he’s not dreaming up the next generation of technological marvels, he relaxes in the 5,678-square-foot Palo Alto mansion that he calls home. Built in 1920, the single-family property is located on over half an acre of land, and has 7 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and one half bathroom.

Jobs was once the owner of a 17,000-square-foot mansion in Woodside, Calif. It was designed by architect George Washington Smith and built in 1925 for mining pioneer Daniel Jackling. In 2004, Jobs tried to have it demolished to make space for a new, contemporary home. After a dispute with local preservationists, the house was torn down in February 2011.

Bill Gates, Microsoft Corp. / Cascade Investment, LLC
Estimated Price: $122.4 million
Location: Medina, Wash.
Beds/Baths: 8 bedrooms, 25 bathrooms
Square feet: 50,050

Home belonging to former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates. Photo: Google Maps | Inset: Sean Gallup | Getty Images

Microsoft founder Bill Gates is the richest man in America. He used to be the company’s CEO, but in 2000 he stepped down and handed the executive reins to Steve Ballmer. Don’t worry, though, Gates is still the software giant's chairman. He's also currently CEO of Cascade Investment, a holding company whose interests include Berkshire Hathaway, Coca-Cola and Microsoft.

Gates’ 50,050 square foot estate in Medina, Wash., has 8 bedrooms, 25 bathrooms and 6 kitchens. It also has a 1,000-square-foot dining room, a swimming pool that pipes in underwater music, and a domed library with concealed bookcases, according to Forbes magazine.

Michael Dell, Dell, Inc.
2010 Tax Assessor’s Value: $18.5 million
Location: Austin, Texas
Beds/Baths: 8 bedrooms, 8 full bathrooms, 13 half bathrooms
Square feet: 33,000

Home belonging to Dell Founder Michael Dell. Photo: Bing Maps | Inset: Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

Michael Dell is the CEO of his namesake company, Dell, Inc. The second-largest PC manufacturer in the world, it sits at number 41 on the Fortune 500 list, and according to The Austin American-Statesman, almost half of the revenue taken in by the city of Round Rock, Texas, comes from sales taxes generated by the company’s headquarters, which are located there.

Dell lives in a residence befitting a man who has brought so much revenue to his state. Built in 1997 at the height of the tech boom, his 33,000-square-foot Austin mansion is located on 20 acres of land, and in addition to its 8 bedrooms and 8 full bathrooms, it has 13 half bathrooms, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and a conference room.

Evan Williams, Twitter, Inc.
Estimated Price: $2.4 million
Location: San Francisco
Beds/Baths: 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 1 half bathroom
Square feet: 3,001

Home belonging to Twitter Founder Evan Williams. Photo: zillow.com | Inset: Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

Evan Williams is the founder and former CEO of Twitter, a social networking site that currently boasts well over 100 million users. He lives in the heart of San Francisco.

Williams recently relocated from a penthouse in the SoMa district to a property in the upscale Noe Valley neighborhood. The area is noted for its modern Victorian architecture, of which Williams’ home is a good example. The home, which Williams purchased for $2.4 million, occupies just over 3,000 square feet, and includes a yard and a guest house.

Hubert Guez, Ed Hardy
Price: $23.5 million
Location: Holmby Hills, Los Angeles
Beds/Baths: 7 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms
Square feet: 17,171

Home belonging to Ed Hardy CEO Hubert Guez. Photo: Bing Maps

When Michael Jackson died in June 2009, he was renting a 7-bedroom mansion for $100,000 a month. His landlord was Hubert Guez, better known as the CEO of the Ed Hardy brand, and even though Jackson was a mere tenant and not the homeowner, he was truly renting in style.

The mansion is located in Holmby Hills, an affluent Los Angeles neighborhood. It was built in 2002 and modeled after a French chateau. Guez bought it in 2004 for $18.5 million, and he originally listed it for $38 million. Despite the swimming pool, wine cellar, guest house and 12 working fireplaces, Guez simply couldn’t get a buyer at that price, and it was lowered to $28 million, and then $23.5 million. The listing remains active today.