Apple CEO upgrades from cosy pod to expansive $12.3 million pad

Unlike most of his fellow tech billionaires — including a few here in Singapore — Apple CEO Tim Cook has never been one for ostentatious real estate.

By all reports, he still lives in the relatively humble Palo Alto home he purchased for US$1.9 million (S$2.6 million) in 2010, not long before he began his tenure in the top job at what is now the world’s most valuable company.

Though by no means spartan, the 2,400 sq ft residence on Webster Street, Palo Alto — which is very oddly blurred out on Google street view — is hardly the sort of property one might expect to find occupied by an individual worth US$1.4 billion (per Forbes estimates). “I like to be reminded of where I came from, and putting myself in modest surroundings helps me do that,” Cook once said. “Money is not a motivator for me.”

Motivator or not, Cook has come into plenty of cash as Apple’s value has climbed. He recently collected a grant of five million shares of the company, worth around US$750 million.

This generous bonus acknowledged that fact that during Cook’s decade at the helm, “the company’s revenue has more than doubled and its shares returned more than 1,100 per cent, pushing the market value above US$2 trillion. The shares have risen about 12 per cent this year,” according to a report in Fortune.

While he intends to eventually give the majority of his money to charity, it was reported this week that Cook recently chose to acquire a second home in an exclusive gated community in La Quinta, California.

Purchased for US$9.1 million, the tasteful modernist structure is situated on a 0.81-acre block within the Madison Club golf estate, where Cook’s neighbours include assorted Kardashian-Jenners, supermodel Cindy Crawford, Full House actress/education enthusiast Lori Loughlin, and Phil Knight, founder of Nike, where Cook is a board member.

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The listing photographs seen here, via the California Desert Association of Realtors, showcase a home very much in keeping with Apple’s minimalist design ethos.

Overlooking an award-winning golf course, Cook’s new 10,000 sq ft spread boasts five bedrooms, five bathrooms, two state-of-the-art kitchens, a billiards room and home office, an infinity pool with swim-up bar, outdoor fireplace and BBQ entertaining area, plus panoramic views across the Santa Rosa Mountains.

One more thing: It also features a vast garage that, at 1,800 sq ft, is nearly the size of Cook’s old Palo Alto home. Treat yourself to a Tesla Roadster, Tim — you deserve it, and you’ve sure got ample room. Not to mention, ample wherewithal.

Peruse these properties in a similar price range to Tim Cook’s new house, with equally amazing views — and easy access to the architecturally stunning Marina Bay Apple shop.